CID launches probe into MP Namal’s Law College exam

• A former student tried to expose the issue in 2012 but reportedly faced abduction threats

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya   

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has launched an investigation into allegations surrounding MP Namal Rajapaksa’s participation in an examination at the Sri Lanka Law College. 

 
Police said the Citizen’s Movement Against Fraud, Corruption, and Waste filed a complaint with the CID, citing irregularities in Rajapaksa’s exam as highlighted in an interview broadcast on the ‘Bostonlanka’ social media network.    

The acting Inspector General of Police has directed the CID Director to thoroughly investigate the matter under the Criminal Procedure Code.   

In December last year, Citizen’s Movement Chairperson Jamuni Kamantha Thushara told the media after lodging the complaint that there is evidence that Namal Rajapaksa sat for the Law College exam in a special air-conditioned room, where he was assisted by two lawyers to complete the examination.   

He revealed that in 2012, a former student of the Law College attempted to expose the matter by filing complaints with college authorities, the Ministry of Justice, the Keselwatta Police, and even the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC). Thushara also claimed the student faced severe repercussions, including abduction and death threats, which forced him to flee the country.   

Earlier, MP Namal Rajapaksa in response to Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe’s remarks in Parliament has requested the government to conduct a probe if there is a complaint regarding the exams related to his law degree.   

MP Rajapaksa told Parliament that he would resign from his Parliamentary seat if Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe could prove that he had sat alone in an A/C room for his law exams.   

Stating that he would resign if the allegation was proven, MP Rajapaksa said, however, if the minister fails to prove so, then he would have to resign from his ministerial portfolio.