The Supreme Court has directed the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to provide an update on the investigation into allegations that a US$ 250 million bribe was paid to a local official by the insurers of MV X-Press Pearl to disrupt the ongoing probe.
These allegations were made by former Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe in April 2023, following multiple tips he received about the bribery attempt to interfere with the litigation and compensation processes surrounding the X-Press Pearl disaster. Dr. Rajapakshe later lodged a formal complaint with the CID.
The Court Order was issued during hearings of several Fundamental Rights petitions related to the X-Press Pearl disaster, brought before the Chief Justice and the Supreme Court on Friday. Transparency International and other organisations have also submitted reports to the Commission for the Investigation of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) regarding alleged fraud linked to the incident. The Supreme Court has instructed the Government to provide a report on actions taken in relation to these complaints.
Counsel Ravindranath Dabare, representing the petitioner alongside Counsel Manasha Jayasinghe, said that the forthcoming reports will shed light on the investigation’s findings, offering the public a clearer picture.
“When these reports are provided, the country will be able to determine whether there has been a genuine investigation into the allegations of bribery of certain Government officials or whether those allegations have been suppressed by someone else’s influence,” Dabare said. The case is set for further hearing on February 13.
The X-Press Pearl disaster, one of Sri Lanka’s worst marine environmental tragedies, unfolded on May 20, 2021 when the Singapore-flagged container ship caught fire off the coast of Colombo, three months after its commissioning.
The blaze, which lasted nearly two weeks, caused extensive damage, with 1,500 containers, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid, spilling hazardous materials such as chemicals, plastics, and microplastics into the sea.
