News
Pay-and-commute deals for the corrupt: CIABOC mulls proposal
View(s):- Says it’s open to requests from accused, if backed by court approval
By Ranjith Padmasiri
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has agreed to consider requests by the accused charged with corruption for causing financial losses to the state to pay back those losses along with interest, provided those requests come through the courts and receive court approval.
This comes after several accused charged with causing financial losses to the state requested the Commission to grant them an opportunity to pay back the financial losses along with interest.
The accused have made the requests to pay back the losses with interest to settle their cases, thus avoiding possible jail time if found guilty after a trial.
The Commission, however, has decided to file court cases related to every complaint if an investigation finds evidence of wrongdoing. It has thus conveyed that if an accused wishes for any relief, he or she should make the request to the court for the CIABOC’s consideration.
The Sunday Times learns that the Commission is of the view that once a charge sheet is served on the accused, if they are prepared to pay the financial loss suffered, it is appropriate to consider any request made by them not to continue with the case. This is on the grounds that if the financial loss is paid off with interest, it will save both time spent on the case and money needed to continue with it.
The Commission is of the view that a lenient sentence may be considered by the court, as the measure does not lead to the acquittal from the charges.
In addition to the financial loss along with interest, the Commission will also be asking the accused to pay for the costs incurred for the investigation as well as court costs.
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