Rauff Hakeem before Presidential Commision on Corruption Soon

Minister of Urban Development, Water Supply and Drainage, Rauff Hakeem will be summoned before the Presidential Commission  on Cooruption and Irregularities. Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Serious Acts of Fraud and Corruption (PRECIFAC) is to question and record his statement in connection with an allegation of allocating of over Rs 150 million for fully refurbishing offices to be occupied by the International Arbitration Center in the World Trade Center in Colombo, Fort, without Cabinet approval,Lacille de Silva, Secretary said.

Earlier reports have claimed Minister Hakeem had allegedly utilized Rs 157 million in Treasury funds, when he was the Minister of Justice in a former administration, to maintain the International Arbitration Center. Minister Hakeem is also alleged to have paid out a further Rs 88.9 million without Cabinet approval to fully refurbish this office, Lacille de Silva said,

Police investigations have revealed, that the materials supposedly purchased at a private shop had been officially shown to have been bought at the State-owned Laksala, he revealed.

Another PRECIFAC official said, there was doubt as to whether the operations at the International Center for Arbitration were with its established arbitration mandate. He pointed out that this massive scale fraud was exposed when a complaint received by PRECIPAC was probed.