Former Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday alleged that President Dissanayake’s declaration on the impending court verdict clearly indicated that he was aware of its outcome.

Addressing the media at Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Flower Road Office, Prof. Peiris said that the President’s direct intervention in the judicial process amounted to an attack on the very basis of the country’s Constitution. Emphasising that he dealt with the issue at hand, not as a politician but a law academic, Prof. Peiris said that a judge couldn’t, under any circumstances, discuss a verdict with a third party and behave in a manner to appease the public.The ex-lawmaker said that President Dissanayake has directly intervened in a case and brought pressure on a judge. How could the President ask the people to celebrate a particular judgement unless he was briefed of its outcome, Prof. Peiris asked.

Referring to relevant sections from the Constitution, Prof. Peiris stressed the responsibility on the part of the Supreme Court to take tangible measures to ensure the independence of the judiciary.

Prof. Peiris said that the Joint Opposition would soon write to Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena regarding the issue.

Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara yesterday said the Opposition, and various interested parties were trying to misinterpret President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s May Day speech.

Attorney-at-law Nanayakkara said so responding to The Island queries regarding concerns expressed by the Opposition and ‘Free Lawyers’ organisation. Declaring that the President had never interfered with the judiciary, under any circumstances, Nanayakkara said that there was no need for the NPP to do so.

The Minister added that obviously those who had been on the wrong side of the law were concerned of the outcome of the ongoing cases. “Media briefings, statements, etc., indicate they are struggling to cope up with the developing situation,” Minister Nanayakkara said, urging the public to be wary of those who robbed the country but now acted as paragons of virtue.

The Minister said that the Opposition was desperate and was seeking to exploit the President’s address to cause public uproar. If they hadn’t done anything wrong there was no need for them to worry so much, he said, adding that ongoing efforts to go on the offensive against the government would not succeed.

The Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Nishantha Jayaweera, has denied reports on the gazette notification issued to revise Value Added Tax (VAT) from 01 July.

Issuing a statement, the Deputy Minister said the move is aimed at simplifying the tax system in line with government policy, by merging VAT and the Social Security Contribution Levy (SSCL) into a single tax.

He explained that banks and financial institutions, which were previously subject to 18% VAT and a 2.5% Social Security Contribution Levy, will instead pay a consolidated 20.5% VAT from 01 July. However, he stressed that the Social Security tax will no longer be charged separately.

Deputy Minister Jayaweera noted that claims circulating, particularly on social media, that VAT is being increased to 20.5%, are misleading, as the change reflects a restructuring, rather than a new tax hike.

He added that the revision would also reduce administrative requirements, as financial institutions will no longer need to submit separate filings for the two taxes.