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Sri Lanka a republic and not a monarchy – Minister of Justice
Text and pic by PRIYAN DE SILVA
Minister of Justice Ali Sabry, PC said at the opening of the new court complex at Kotawila, Matara on Friday (29), that since 1972 Sri Lanka had been a Republic and not a monarchy and it was the people who conferred power on the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa declared open the complex by remotely from Colombo. The new court complex in Kotawila was planned under the ‘Deyata Kirula’ development program of 2014/2015
The Justice Minister said it was from the judiciary that the people sought relief. Hence the judiciary should be independent and strong. “A strong and fair judiciary improves the economy of a country as well” he added.
He said that as at 2019 there was a backlog of 800,000 cases in Sri Lanka and only 335 judges to hear them. There were only 15 judges per one million citizens and steps had been taken to increase the number of judges to clear the backlog.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa as Minister of Finance had allocated Rs. 20 million from the last budget for upgrading infrastructure in the judicial service. Minister Sabry said that the introduction of a fully digitalised system was nearing completion and would be operative by February or March 2022.
President’s Counsel Sabry said that law reforms were necessary to respond to needs of the society in keeping with aspirations of the people and international best practices.
“The ultimate beneficiary of all the changes being introduced should be the people of this nation” he added.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Members of the Judiciary, Minister Dullas Alahapperuma, State Minister Kanchana Wijesekera, District Secretary Pradeep Rathnayake, Members of Parliament, Members of the Bar Association of Matara, members of local government institutions and government officials were among the dignitaries present at Kotawila.
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“Sri Lanka’s Economic Revival – Reflection on the Journey from Crisis to Recovery” by Mahinda Siriwardana presented to the President
The book “Sri Lanka’s Economic Revival – Reflection on the Journey from Crisis to Recovery” ,authored by Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Mahinda Siriwardana, was officially launched this morning (08) at the Galle Face Hotel, Colombo, with the participation of President Anura Kumara Disanayake.
The first copy of the publication was formally presented to President Disanayake by Mr. Siriwardana during the event.
It has been reported that former State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias ‘Pilleyan’ has been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
A meeting between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and senior officials of SriLankan Airlines was held this afternoon (April 8) at the Presidential Secretariat.
The discussions mainly focused on proposals to transform SriLankan Airlines into a more profitable state-owned enterprise. Special attention was also given to possible short-term and long-term solutions for the airline’s debt management.
The talks further explored new investment opportunities for the airline. The President instructed the officials to take all necessary steps to transform SriLankan Airlines into a profit-making entity.
Although the airline has recorded operational profits, due to past mismanagement and poor decision-making, it remains one of the leading loss-making state enterprises. The current government has decided to reverse the previous administration’s decision to privatize the airline. Instead, it plans to continue operating it as the national carrier while introducing a new management structure to ensure its profitability moving forward.
Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, President’s Senior Advisor Duminda Hulangamuwa, Chairman of SriLankan Airlines Sarath Ganegoda along with several senior officials of SriLankan Airlines, were present at the meeting.
“Sri Lanka’s Economic Revival – Reflection on the Journey from Crisis to Recovery” by Mahinda Siriwardana presented to the President
Former state minister arrested by CID
President meets with senior officials of SriLankan Airlines
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