Former Commissioner Removed Vehicle Registration Files From DMT

An NGO called Anti Corruption Association had  raised the issue of missing registration files and taken the matter up with the President, the Prime Minister and other Authorities and had demanded an investigation.  In response Department of Motor Traffic (DMT), Commissioner General A.H.K. Jagath Chandrasiri said, that  a  number of vehicle registration files had been allegedly removed by a former Commissioner Administration.

He said that the DMT had requested the Transport Ministry Secretary to probe against the Commissioner-Administration in connection with the incident.. When asked DMT Commissioner General said, the former Commissioner Administration had her transfer, along with five other officials, with effect from January 1.

Five officials were transferred but the lady Commissioner stayed in the office locking herself in her cabin for more than a week forcibly. She had collected many documents during her service period.

“I looked at her cabin because there was panic as other employees had tried to talk to her through the glass and intercom. “Then I saw pile of files stored in a corner of her office room and I thought the files were to be hand over to the department as it was the procedure of handing over when a person is transferred,” he said. She had handed over fourteen files to the department’s Chief Clerk including employee transfer files in 2013 and 2014 except vehicle registration files, the Commissioner said. “However, she has taken all her files out of the department premises after office hours using a Police Vehicle (KX-2342) belonging to a senior police officer in the North Western Province. All the activities had been recorded on the Department CCTV video footages.

One CCTV camera pointed at her cabin had been disabled by her at the time. She had the access to operate CCTV camera system based on her post in the department. Several Police personnel were there in the department including civil officers. “According to CCTV video footages she had taken the Department files out a number of days using the same Police vehicle. “She has refused to use the vehicle but instead claimed the allowance and used Police vehicles during her service, which was an illegal for a State service employee,” As Commissioner General I informed her to bring back the file that taken with her but no reply had received yet.