Speaker Faces Ten Alleged Corruption Charges, Claims Udaya Gammanpila
21-Jul-2026.
Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader and former Minister Udaya Gammanpila has alleged that an internal parliamentary investigation report submitted to the Speaker contains ten allegations of corruption and misconduct against him, and called on the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) to arrest the Speaker without delay.
Addressing a media briefing at the party headquarters on July 20, Gammanpila said he would refrain from disclosing certain contents of the report as they were of a sensitive nature.
He stated that following media reports concerning Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne, the Speaker had instructed the Secretary General of Parliament to conduct an internal inquiry. A special committee was subsequently appointed last year to investigate the matter.
According to Gammanpila, the Secretary General handed over the investigation report to the Speaker on August 25 last year. However, he alleged that the Speaker had withheld its contents from the public.
"I submitted a request under the Right to Information Act seeking a copy of the report. Parliament's Information Officer replied in writing that it could not be released without the Speaker's approval. I have appealed that decision before the Right to Information Commission, but no prompt action has been taken so far," he said.
Gammanpila further claimed that the report had now reached him anonymously through the post and alleged that if the Speaker investigated how the document had been leaked, it could expose serious divisions between the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the National People's Power (NPP).
Referring to the report titled 'Investigation into the Disclosure of Confidential Information Relating to the Speaker in the Media', he said it contained ten allegations against the Speaker.
Among the allegations highlighted by Gammanpila were:
The Establishments Code prohibits the President, Prime Minister and Speaker from arbitrarily altering their official residences. Although the official Speaker's residence in Battaramulla is maintained using public funds, the Speaker is reportedly residing at another house on Loris Road, the expenses of which are also borne by taxpayers.
Eight staff members have reportedly been assigned to the Speaker's official residence, despite not performing duties there. Their monthly salaries allegedly cost the State at least Rs. 760,000.
Two retired public servants have allegedly been appointed to the Speaker's personal staff, including a 73-year-old room attendant and a 63-year-old gardener.
The Speaker is alleged to have decided, without Cabinet approval, to convert the official Speaker's residence into a research centre, contrary to the Establishments Code.
A State-funded residence has reportedly been allocated to the Speaker's private secretary near the Speaker's current residence on Loris Road.
When an air-conditioning unit at the Speaker's private residence malfunctioned, Parliamentary staff were allegedly deployed to repair it.
