Sri Lanka has become a police state – Gotabaya

Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa today said that he has not unlawfully obtained a single cent within the past 9 years and that he is the victim of a politically motivated witch-hunt.

Rajapaksa arrived at the Commission to Investigate Allegation of Bribery or Corruption this morning amidst a large gathering of protesters chanting slogans against the government and the commission for summoning the former military man, who is a brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

“(Sri Lanka) has now become a police state,” Rajapaksa said, speaking to reporters outside the commission. He stated every Ministerial Secretary under the former regime are being charged with bribery and corruption today and are summoned for questioning. “But these are baseless accusations.”

The ex-Defence Secretary further said that if the Bribery Commission is summoning him on allegations of corruption, then every single person in the country should be brought in for questioning.

“Because I have not collected or defrauded a single cent within the past 9 years. Only my salary and army pension have been credited to my account,” he said.

He charged that high-ranking officials in the institution who are summoning him on corruption charges, themselves have been accused of illegally obtaining properties. “They are the ones who should be summoned before the commission first and foremost.”

“This is a politically motivated hunt. I believe that our democracy is eroding under this police control,” he said.