by Saman Indrajith

Opposition MPs, led by SJB leader Sajith Premadasa, yesterday, in Parliament, accused Speaker Jagath Wickremesinghe of preventing the MPs speaking in the House and thereby depriving them of their rights.

The Opposition made that allegation when the Speaker warned that he would be compelled to have MPs Ramanathan Archchuna and Shanakiyan Rasamanickam removed from the House for disrupting the proceedings.

The MPs alleged that extra-judicial killings were taking place in the North and the East just like in other areas of the country.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said the Speaker should not discriminate against the Opposition MPs.

“You give opportunities to other MPs to raise points of order but you don’t give that opportunity to these two MPs,” Premadasa said.

Leader of the House, Transport Minister Bimal Ratnayke, who responded, said there was no discrimination.

“We cannot afford to allow MPs to raise points of order regarding unimportant matters. What will happen if all 224 MPs raise points of order in that manner?

Drug procurement scam:

By A.J.A. Abeynayake

The Supreme Court yesterday dismissed a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition filed by Saman Ratnayake, a former Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Health.

Ratnayake sought a ruling that his fundamental rights had been violated due to his ‘unlawful’ arrest and remanding in custody by the CID in relation to the substandard human intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) procurement case.

The order was issued when the petition was heard before a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justices Gamini Amarasekara, Kumuduni Wickremesinghe, and Sobhitha Rajakaruna.

On March 1, 2024, Saman Ratnayake, the then Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Health, was arrested by the CID in connection with the controversial procurement of substandard IVIG vials.

Before Ratnayake’s arrest, several others had been detained in connection with the drug procurement scam. These included former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, former Health Ministry Secretary Janaka Chandragupta, the Director of the Health Ministry’s Medical Supplies Division (MSD), three other MSD officials, as well as the owner of the company alleged to have imported the batch of substandard immunoglobulin vials using forged documents.

In October 2023, the National Medicines Regulatory Authority revealed that forged documents had been submitted for Customs clearance in order to procure a batch of vials containing human immunoglobulin, an antibody produced by blood plasma cells. These vials later failed quality testing.

By Norman Palihawadane and Hemantha Randunu

Ishara Sewvandi, wanted by police for her alleged involvement in the plot that eliminated underworld leader Ganemulle Sanjeewa, was now facing death threats from two rival criminal gangs, police said.

Police sources said that both the Kehelbaddara Pathme’s gang that ordered the hit and Sanjeewa’s gang had issued orders to eliminate Sewvandi.

The suspect allegedly smuggled in the muder weapon concealed in a hollowed-out law book for the hitman to gun down Sanjeewa at near point blank range in a courtroom at Hulftsdorp.

The Kehelbaddara Pathme’s gang has striven to smuggle Sewvandi out of the country, with plans to send her to India or Dubai. However, these attempts have failed, prompting Pathme to order his gang to kill Sewvandi by any means necessary, police said.

Meanwhile, Sanjeewa’s gang, now led by Heenatiyana Sankha, is also seeking to eliminate Sewvandi.