CC endorses acting IGP appointment

The Constitutional Council yesterday approved the appointment of Deshabandu Tennakoon as acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP) He assumed duties in his new role Thursday morning (Nov 30), following his appointment the day before.

At the time Tennakoon received the acting appointment he was serving as the Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) in charge of the Western Province.

The appointment was made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe pursuant to the powers vested with him. Accordingly, SDIG Tennakoon will serve as the Acting IGP for three months.

Tennakoon’s appointment comes days after former Police Chief C.D. Wickramaratne decided to finally call it quits from the police service from November 25, after receiving four service extensions as the IGP this year. The Constitutional Council, however, refused to endorse any of those extensions, even though it is a mandatory requirement under the Constitution.

The Catholic Church has deplored the appointment of Tennakoon as the Acting IGP. Spokesperson Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini said the Catholic Church deems this appointment ‘an insult’ to the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks.