Colombo, April 22 (IANS): Former Sri Lanka president Mahinda Rajapakse on Wednesday lodged a counter-complaint with the country's anti-graft commission over the bribery complaint already lodged against him, an official said.

Rajapakse's spokesperson Rohan Weliwita told Xinhua news agency that the petitioner, in his complaint against the former president, had stated that if the Bribery and Corruption Commission failed to take action against Rajapakse, then he would take action against the anti-graft body.

Weliwita said that such a statement posed a direct threat to the former president and that was why a complaint would be lodged.

"How can anyone threaten the Bribery and Corruption Commission in such a manner when the commission is an independent body? The commission is at par with the court of the land and action has to be taken against anyone who threatens it," Weliwita said.

A group of lawyers representing Rajapakse arrived at the anti-corruption commission on Wednesday afternoon to lodge the complaint on behalf of the former president.

Protests broke inside and outside Sri Lanka's parliament earlier this week against the move by the Bribery and Corruption Commission to question Rajapakse over the bribery allegations.

More than 100 opposition parliamentarians, who launched the protest, signed a petition calling for the director general of the Bribery Commission to be sacked. The petition was later handed over to Parliament Speaker Chamal Rajapakse.