Govt. to present Commissions of Inquiry Amendment Bill

The government is expected to present the Commissions of Inquiry Amendment Bill in the near future which will provide provisions for the Bribery Commission (BC) to use the same evidence utilised by presidential commissions for investigations.

Parliamentary sources said the legislation would pave the way for the BC to use the same evidence as done by presidential commissions without calling for fresh evidence.

“This will expedite the probes of the Bribery Commission and make the investigating procedure less complicated. When a case already probed by another investigative body is referred to the Bribery Commission, it starts the probe afresh. Thanks to the new amendment, such time-consuming efforts won’t be necessary,” sources said.

Sources said the amendment would be presented by House Leader Lakshman Kiriella. (Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)