Former Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe told The Island that the declaration that the government would establish an IPO (Independent Prosecutor Office) meant that the AG (Attorney General) wasn’t independent. That would cause serious harm to that institution, the ex-Minister alleged, pointing out that the AG and IPO representing the government, simultaneously could be quite confusing. “How could the police decide whether to seek the advice of the AG or the IPO regarding a particular case?” Rajapakshe asked. “The moment the police forward the file of a particular case to IPO the inference will be that the AG is biased and, therefore, cannot be trusted with it.”
Responding to queries, the ex-mMnister said that President J. R. Jayewardene had abolished the IPO against the backdrop of accusations the Bribery Commissioner and IPO unashamedly had pursued a political agenda during the late Sirimavi Bandaranaike administration. “The bottom line is the proposed IPO may not be able to achieve what Geneva wants,” the former parliamentarian said, warning the government to expect the worst. (SF)
