President signals intensified anti-corruption drive, targets major cases

Colombo, May 1 (Daily Mirror) - President Anura Kumara Dissanayake says the government is intensifying legal action against corruption and organised crime, claiming that a series of high-profile cases are moving through the courts under strengthened state institutions.

Speaking at the Nuwara Eliya District May Day rally, the President said investigative bodies, including the Criminal Investigation Department and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, have been reinforced to expedite ongoing probes.

He said several court cases linked to financial irregularities are already scheduled for hearings in the coming months, adding that verdicts in some matters are expected soon.

“The institutions have been strengthened and investigations are moving forward. Those who are worried are not the public, but those under investigation,” he said.

The President claimed that legal proceedings are now reaching individuals across different levels of political and public life, stressing that the enforcement of the law is being applied without distinction to former leaders or their families.

He also said that court facilities have been expanded and repurposed to handle the growing number of corruption-related cases, while ongoing investigations are accelerating.

According to the President, multiple cases are expected to be concluded this year, with authorities preparing for what he described as a significant number of legal outcomes linked to corruption and financial crime.

Reiterating his government’s mandate, he said the administration is acting on a public demand for accountability and institutional reform, while emphasising that legal action will proceed irrespective of political status.