Parliament refutes reports of pillows, mattress found inside Committee Room

The media reports in circulation claiming that two pillows and a mattress were found inside a Parliamentary Committee Room are completely false, Secretary General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera clarified on Thursday (Aug. 17).

The statement comes weeks after media reports raised concerns about female housekeeping staffers of the parliament being allegedly sexually abused by senior officials.

The Secretary-General, in a media release, said a committee of three senior officials has been appointed to conduct a preliminary investigation into the reports, published in media on July 30 and subsequent days, regarding the Housekeeping Department of Parliament. A probe is currently underway, she added.

She also mentioned that an officer accused in the aforesaid incident has already been suspended, adding that parliamentary staffers are given the opportunity to contact the three committee members personally or via telephone or e-mail to provide them with related information.

She added that an internal circular has been issued announcing that information can also be provided to the Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General of the Parliament.

Rohanadeera assured that investigations conducted by the relevant committees are being carried out impartially, and vowed to take strict action in the event any parliamentary official is found guilty of sexually abusing the housekeeping staffers.

Addressing a parliamentary session in early August, MP Rohini Kumari Wijerathna alleged that the victims had been forced by the senior officials, who were involved in the incidents, to sign written statements mentioning that such abuses had not taken place.