News
IGP appointed in violation of Constitution: Opposition
By Saman Indrajith
Opposition parties yesterday said Deshabandu Tennakoon had been appointed IGP in violation of the Constitution.
SLPP dissident MP Prof. GL Peiris addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Colombo said the Supreme Court had found Tennakoon guilty of torturing people and ordered to pay Rs 500,000 as compensation to the victim.
How can such a person be appointed to the IGP post?” he asked.
Prof Peiris said that the due process had not been followed in the appointment of Tennakoon as IGP. As per the Constitutional provisions, the IGP should be appointed by the President with the concurrence of the Constitutional Council. The approval of the CC is mandatory and there was no way to appoint an IGP without that. There had to be at least five votes in the CC for the appointment. There were four votes approving the appointment. Two members had opposed it. The CC members representing the civil organisations abstained. The fifth vote was given by the Speaker. What he did was wrong. Article 41 E states that the Speaker shall not have an original vote, but in the event of an equality of votes on any question for decision at any meeting of the Council, the Speaker shall have a casting vote. There was no such event of equality of votes with regard to approving the name of Tennakoon. As such the Speaker has violated the Constitution,” Prof Peiris argued.
Not only the Speaker but also the Secretary of the CC had violated the Constitution by informing the President that the CC had approved Tennakoon’s name, Prof Peiris said.
SJB General Secretary MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara said that both the incumbent President and the Speaker of Parliament had acted against the law in giving the IGP post to Deshabandu.
“Tennakoon was appointed IGP post after the Supreme Court had stated that he tortured citizens of this country,” he said.
Meanwhile, JVP/NPP stated that Tennakoon’s appointment was dubious and it would pave the way for a constitutional issue.
Former JVP Kalutara District MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, addressing the media at the party headquarters, in Pelawatte, yesterday, said: “The Supreme Court on Dec 14, 2023 giving the ruling in the case No SCSR/2011 recognised Tennakoon as a person responsible for human rights violations and international conventions against torture and violating the country’s Constitution. In addition, there are many cases of human rights and fundamental rights violations against him that are pending before the Supreme Court. Among them is a fundamental rights violation case against his failure to prevent the Easter Sunday terror attacks.
“There is a serious question as to how Tennakoon’s name got the Constitutional Council’s approval. The Speaker’s role in the vote to secure the approval is against the Constitution. Therefore, this appointment is illegal. As such, this appointment has raised many questions, not only locally but also internationally. The legality of this appointment would be challenged before the courts,” Dr. Jayatissa said.
Former MP Wasantha Samarasinghe also addressed the press.
News
Karu argues against scrapping MPs’ pension as many less fortunate members entered Parliament after ’56
Former Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressing concerns over the proposed abolition of MPs’ pensions.The letter was sent in his capacity as Patron of the Former Parliamentarians’ Caucus.
In his letter, Jayasuriya noted that at the time of Sri Lanka’s independence, political participation was largely limited to an educated, affluent land-owning elite. However, he said a significant social transformation took place after 1956, enabling ordinary citizens to enter politics.
He warned that under current conditions, removing parliamentary pensions would effectively confine politics to the wealthy, business interests, individuals engaged in illicit income-generating activities, and well-funded political parties. Such a move, he said, would discourage honest social workers and individuals of modest means from entering public life.
Jayasuriya also pointed out that while a small number of former MPs, including himself, use their pensions for social and charitable purposes, the majority rely on the pension as a primary source of income.
He urged the President to give due consideration to the matter and take appropriate action, particularly as the government prepares to draft a new constitution.The Bill seeking to abolish pensions for Members of Parliament was presented to Parliament on 07 January by Minister of Justice and National Integration Dr. Harshana Nanayakkara.
Five suspects, including former Minister Johnston Fernando and his two sons, who were arrested by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), were further remanded until 30 January by the Wattala Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
The former Minister’s , sons Johan Fernando and Jerome Kenneth Fernando, and two others, were arrested in connection with the alleged misuse of a Sathosa vehicle during Fernando’s tenure as Minister.
Investigations are currently underway into the alleged misuse of state property, including a lorry belonging to Lanka Sathosa, which reportedly caused a significant financial loss to the state.
In connection with the same incident, Indika Ratnamalala, who served as the Transport Manager of Sathosa during
Fernando’s tenure as Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade, was arrested on 04 January.
After being produced before the Wattala Magistrate’s Court, he was ordered to be remanded in custody until 09 January.The former Sathosa Transport Manager was remanded on charges of falsifying documents.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) yesterday informed the Colombo Magistrate’s Court that indictments had been filed in the Colombo High Court against former Minister and NDF Badulla District MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake over a corruption allegation.
The Bribery Commission notified the court when the case, in this regard, was taken up yesterday before Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama.
At the hearing, the CIABOC notified the court that indictments had been presented before the Colombo High Court against the accused.
Accordingly, concluding the proceedings before the Magistrate’s Court, the Magistrate ordered MP Dassanayake to appear before the High Court once a notice was issued.
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