The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has recorded a statement from former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in connection with the allocation of a state-owned house to a domestic employee attached to the official residence of a former Chief Justice.
The statement was recorded on March 17, as part of an ongoing inquiry into the circumstances under which the house was provided to a maid employed at the residence of then Chief Justice Mohan Peiris, PC. At the time of the allocation, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was serving as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development.
According to information available to investigators, the housing allocation was reportedly approved following a recommendation made by the Chief Justice during the second term of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Mohan Peiris was appointed Chief Justice in January 2013, following the impeachment of Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, a move that generated significant political and legal controversy at the time.
Sources familiar with the matter state that the house was allocated through the Urban Development Authority (UDA) after the request had undergone the required administrative review process. During this period, the government had initiated several large-scale urban redevelopment and housing programmes in Colombo and surrounding areas, primarily aimed at relocating residents from shanty settlements and under-served communities.
CIABOC officials are also expected to obtain a statement from former Chief Justice Mohan Peiris, who later served as Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. The commission has not yet disclosed whether additional individuals will be questioned as part of the inquiry.
CIABOC, established to investigate allegations of bribery, corruption, and misuse of public resources by public officials, has in recent months intensified its focus on past administrative decisions involving state assets. The investigation remains ongoing, and no findings or conclusions have been announced at this stage.