News
SJB: Prorogation of Parliament aimed at handing over Trinco oil tank farm to India
Disclosure of New Fortress agreements has frigthened govt. – JVP
By Saman Indrajith
The sudden prorogation of Parliament is part of a secret plan to hand over the Trincomalee oil tank farm to India, says Chief Opposition Whip and SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella.
MP Kiriella told The Island yesterday that Parliament had to be kept open at present, given the enormity of the crisis the country was faced with. “The British Parliament continued to have sessions even while bombs were going off during World War II. The government is running away, unable to answer our questions on national issues, such as its clandestine deal with the US-based New Fortress Energy company. It is obvious that the government has a lot to hide from the legislators and the public,” Kiriella said, noting that the government would have to face reality after five weeks.
The Chief Opposition Whip said Parliament could not be kept closed indefinitely and the government had to face the problems instead of running away.
Meanwhile, former Kalutara District JVP MP Dr Nalinda Jayatissa said the stunning revelation his party leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake made in the House on Thursday had prompted the government to prorogue Parliament.
“The government was scared that there would be debate on the Yugadanavi agreement Comrade Anura Kumara Dissanayake tabled in Parliament,” he said.
Meanwhile, sources close to the government rebel factions said one of the reasons for the prorogation of parliament was to dissolve the parliamentary watchdog committee, COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises), which was probing the controversial divestiture of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology.
Once Parliament is prorogued parliamentary committees including COPE and COPA stand dissolved and new chairpersons have to be appointed to them when parliament reopens.
Deputy Secretary General of Parliament and Chief of Staff Kushani Rohandheera told The Island that a gazette notification the prorogation of Parliament had been issued by the Secretary to the President Dr. P.B Jayasundera.
The gazette notice states that by virtue of the powers vested in him by Article 70 of the Constitution, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has prorogued Parliament with effect from midnight of Dec 12.
The President has declared that the next session of Parliament will be at 10 am on 18 Jan.
A prorogation is a temporary recess of Parliament which should not extend to a period of more than two months.
During the prorogation the Speaker continues to function and the Members retain their membership even though they do not attend meetings of Parliament.
The effect of a prorogation is to suspend all current Business before the House and all proceedings pending at the time are quashed except impeachments.
A Bill, motion or question of the same substance cannot be introduced for a second time during the same Session. However, it could be carried forward at a subsequent Session after a prorogation.
In terms of Standing Orders of Parliament No. 114, the Committee of Selection has to be appointed and therefore, all the Committees for Special Purposes cease to function during the recess or the prorogation of Parliament and all of them have to be reconstituted at the commencement of each Session of Parliament except the Committee on High Posts, Sectoral Oversight Committees and Select Committees of Parliament as per provisions of Standing Order of Parliament.
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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