News
BASL urges President to fill superior courts’ vacancies
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has urged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to fill four vacancies in the Supreme Court and four in the Court of Appeal, immediately and warned that the prolonged delay could undermine the administration of justice and erode public confidence in the judiciary.
The letter sent by BASL President Rajeev Amarasuriya expressed concern over the continuing vacancies in the superior courts and called for the appointment process to be expedited.
The letter follows an earlier communication sent on May 25, 2026, concerning a reported proposal to amend the Constitution to increase the retirement age of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges.
The BASL said the first vacancy in the Supreme Court arose with the retirement of Justice Gamini Amarasekara on June 20, 2025. The subsequent retirements of Justices S. Thurairaja, PC, Kumudini Wickramasinghe and Priyantha Fernando have increased the number of vacancies in the apex court to four, while another four remain in the Court of Appeal.
The Association noted that under Article 107(1) of the Constitution, the President has a constitutional duty to appoint judges to the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. It warned that leaving eight positions vacant has reduced the judicial strength of the two courts by nearly 25%, placing an additional burden on sitting judges and risking further delays in the hearing and determination of cases.
“The failure to fill these eight vacancies has consequences extending beyond the career progression of members of the judiciary. More importantly, it places a significant additional burden on the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, both of which are now required to discharge their judicial functions with close to 25 percent fewer judges than their full complement,” the BASL said.
The Association also cautioned that the continued delay in making appointments could give rise to speculation about the reasons for the inaction and create perceptions that appointments were being withheld to benefit particular individuals.
Such perceptions, it said, could undermine public confidence in both the judicial appointments process and the independence of the judiciary.
The BASL called on the President to complete the appointments without further delay to ensure the effective functioning of the superior courts and maintain public trust in the justice system.
COPF final report on USD 2.5 mn cyber fraud recommends action against all responsible
The US$2.5 million loss incurred during Sri Lanka’s foreign debt repayment to Australia was a clear case of a cybercrime and theft, Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva told Parliament yesterday.
Presenting the COPF final report on the cyber fraud, Dr. de Silva said the incident amounted to a serious financial crime and called for a comprehensive investigation, by law enforcement authorities, to identify and prosecute all those responsible.
The report revealed serious governance, procedural and operational failures that enabled the fraudulent transfer of public funds, while recommending sweeping reforms to strengthen cybersecurity, financial controls and public debt management systems.
According to the report, officials of the Treasury and the Central Bank bore responsibility for governance lapses that contributed to the failures. It also highlighted the fact that the Ministry of Finance was operating an outdated Microsoft Exchange Server after security support had ended, while basic safeguards, such as multi-factor authentication, had not been implemented.
The COPF said suspicious payment instructions linked to debt repayments involving India, the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium had also been detected, preventing further losses. However, the US$ 2.5 million fraud materialised only in the repayment transaction involving Australia.
The report has noted that officials had failed to verify lender email domains, relied on unverified email communications and lacked adequate internal controls, allowing the fraud to continue for months.
Although the investigation uncovered system-wide weaknesses across several institutions, only four mid-level Finance Ministry officials had been suspended so far, the report said.
The COPF has recommended a special audit of the foreign debt repayment process, strengthened cybersecurity measures across state institutions, updated financial regulations and improvements to public debt management systems.
by Saman Indrajith
News
Opposition signs no-confidence motion against Justice Minister for dereliction of duty over Negombo Prison deaths
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, together with Opposition MPs, yesterday signed a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) in Parliament against Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara.The move comes in response to the unrest at the Negombo Prison, where both prison officers and inmates were killed.
Opposition members said the Minister had failed to fulfill his responsibility and accountability regarding their safety.According to the Opposition group, the NCM seeks to hold the Minister directly accountable for lapses in ensuring protection within the prison system.
The Attorney General yesterday informed the Supreme Court that the government has decided to review the legality of agreements entered into by the previous administration to hand over the country’s electronic visa issuance operations to private companies.
Additional Solicitor General Viveka Siriwardena, appearing for the Attorney General, made the submission when the Supreme Court took up the fundamental rights petitions filed by former MPs President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran, Patali Champika Ranawaka, and Rauff Hakeem, challenging the previous Cabinet’s decision to outsource the e-visa system.
The petitions were heard before a three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justices Achala Wengappuli and Arjuna Obeyesekere.
The Additional Solicitor General informed court that the current Cabinet had appointed a subcommittee to examine the legality of the agreements with the private companies and requested time to report on its findings, stating that the review was still underway.
President’s Counsel Sumanthiran, appearing as one of the petitioners, told the court that although the present government had indicated its intention to cancel the transaction, the petitioners wished to proceed with the case.
He noted that members of the current Cabinet had been named as respondents in the petitions.The Supreme Court directed the petitioners to issue notice on the members of the current Cabinet, named as respondents, and fixed September 29 for further proceedings.
US$ 2.5 mn cyber heist exposes system failures
Opposition signs no-confidence motion against Justice Minister for dereliction of duty over Negombo Prison deaths
AG informs SC of e-visa agreement review
Navy, Coast Guard seize smuggled pharmaceuticals and cosmetics in Puttalam
BASL urges President to fill superior courts’ vacancies
Mariazelle passes away
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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