People should not take the appointment of defeated MPs to Parliament through the National List seriously as many of them were slated to end up in prisons before long, United National Party (UNP) MP elect Ranjan Ramanayake said yesterday.

Mr. Ramanayake told the Daily Mirror that people should not care much about these defeated MPs who would enter Parliament because they might not be able attend sessions for long as they would be penalised for corruption soon.

“Most of the defeated MPs who comes through the National List will end up in either Welikada or Bogambara prisons as the charges they face are so serious,” he said.

The MP said there were some who were charged with accepting bribes from women who go to work overseas and others who would be called before the Presidential Commission on investigating serious frauds.

He said President Maithripala Sirisena was unlikely to sweep investigations against any of these MPs under the carpet.

“We are certain that President will not sweep any investigations under the carpet as he did not do so even the probe against his own brother,” Ramanayake said.

He said investigations would only increase in the time to come as the Bribery Commission would be re activated soon following the request made by many UNP members. “This request has been made to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe,” he said. (Yohan Perera)