Appointment letters to members of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry, set up to probe allegations against SriLankan and Mihin Lanka Airlines, and SriLankan Catering (Pvt) Limited, will be issued early this week, said Secretary to the President, Austin Fernando.
“The Gazette notification to set up the Presidential Commission was issued on Friday night.
On Monday or Tuesday we will issue appointments letters to each of the Commission members,” Fernando told the Sunday Observer.
He said that prior to beginning work, a secretary to the commission has to be appointed.
“We have requested the Chairman of the Commission, retired Supreme Court Judge Anil Gunaratne, to nominate a secretary. If the Chairman does not nominate a secretary, we will appoint one,” he said. Fernando said that before initiating functions, the Chairman and the Commission must sit together and discuss and decide on the staff and other required facilities.
A venue to house the Commission has also to be decided by the authorities and the Attorney General has to decide on the staff to be allocated to assist the Commission.
“After this, the Commission will publish a notification to the public stating the areas being covered by it and requesting complaints. After the complaints are received, it will be processed and inquired into accordingly,” he said. Fernando added that inquiring into allegations is a long procedure and that is the reason the Commission has been appointed for six months. The five-member Commission consists of retired Supreme Court Judge, Anil Gunaratne, Appeal Court Judge, Gamini Rohan Amarasekera, retired High Court Judge, Piyasena Ranasinghe, former Deputy Auditor General Mallawa Arachchige Don Anthony Harold and Director General of the Sri Lanka Accounting and Auditing Standards Monitoring Board, Wasantha Jayaseeli Kapugama, said a communiqué issued by the President’s Media division.
The Commission will probe allegations of malpractices within the period January 1, 2006 to January 31, 2018.