News
Corruption: Ex-top House official alleges negligence of successive Speakers

By Shamindra Ferdinando
Civil society activist and former Parliament Director Administration Lacille de Silva says that the Speaker should be held responsible for the continuing failure to initiate action in respect of reports submitted to the House.
The outspoken ex-official said so when The Island asked him whether he backed lawmaker Prof. Charitha Herath’s push for the empowerment of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) to directly seek the intervention of the Attorney General. SLPP National List MP Herath recently alleged that his effort, in his former capacity as Chairman, the COPE, hasn’t found favour with the Parliament.
De Silva said that actually the Speaker could forward any report to the Attorney General or any other investigating authority, including the Committee to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).
Responding to another query, De Silva emphasised that the Speaker was not bound by Standing Orders 119, 120 and 121 as regards the Committee on Public Accounts, Committee on Public Enterprises and Committee on Public Finance, respectively.
Lacille de Silva served as Director Administration from 2003 to 2013. The Speaker didn’t answer his hand phone. His staff promised to arrange the Speaker to call The Island though it didn’t materialize at the time we went to press.
The former official said that incumbent Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and his predecessors owed an explanation as to why disclosures made by watchdog committees hadn’t been sent to the Attorney General, CIABOC et al.
Emphasising the primary responsibilities of the Parliament as public finance and enactment of laws, De Silva said that the recent declaration by the UN Human Rights Commissioner that economic crimes had been perpetrated in Sri Lanka should be examined by the Parliament. The UN has called for punitive action against those responsible.
De Silva said that though Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, PC, in his address to the ongoing 51 session of the Geneva-based UNHRC challenged the body for taking up an internal issue of the country, the Parliament couldn’t absolve itself of the responsibility for the current debt crisis.
The ex-official said that there had been only a few instances of the parliamentary reports being used against corruption. De Silva cited the Supreme Court ruling in respect of the acquisition of Lanka Marine Services by John Keells as a glaring case in point.
The historic judgment was delivered on July 21, 2008. De Silva said that the Supreme Court annulled that particular transaction and should have influenced the Parliament to use findings made by the watchdogs to fight corruption.
The ex-House administration head compared the responsibilities of the judiciary and the Speaker. Emphasizing he wasn’t targeting any individual, De Siva alleged that the Parliament still seemed to be on the same agenda even after the government accepted Sri Lanka’s bankrupt status.
The public protest campaign that forced Gotabaya Rajapaksa to give up executive office in July and continuing public agitation should prompt the Parliament at least now to take control of public finance. But, extremely serious allegations, directed at the Parliament by former COPE Chief Prof. Herath, meant that at least a section of lawmakers didn’t have faith in the parliamentary system. De Silva said that if the incumbent Speaker felt that Prof. Herath’s accusations were unjustifiable, the lawmaker should be appropriately dealt with.
Had successive Speakers exercised the powers without serving the interests of their respective parties, Sri Lanka wouldn’t have ended up bankrupt, De Silva said. Perhaps the Parliament should categorize reports received over the years and take tangible measures to have those on waste, corruption, irregularities and mismanagement examined, the ex-official said.
De Silva said that whatever party exercised executive powers, the legislature always managed to cover up corruption. Could any of the Speakers, since the enactment of the 1978 Constitution, explain why action hadn’t been taken in respect of findings made by the parliamentary watchdog committees, he asked.
News
GMOA swings into action on Vithana’s disclosure of MPs’ salaries, etc.

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has sought an explanation from Parliament regarding how PAYE (Pay As You Earn) is applied to parliamentarians.
GMOA Secretary Dr. Prabath Sugathadasa has written to the Secretary General of Parliament, Kushani Rohanadeera, in terms of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Information was sought on 09 July, 2025, in the wake of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Kalutara district parliamentarian Jagath Vithana posting his pay sheets from January to May this year on his Facebook.
In addition to information on PAYE, the GMOA has posed a number of other questions to the Secretary General regarding the parliamentarians’ salary as well as pensions.
Parliament passed the RTI Act on 24 June, 2016, and it came into effect on 03 February, 2017. This act, introduced through the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, in 2015, is meant to promote transparency and accountability in government.
New controversy has erupted in the wake of Nawa Janatha Peramuna lodging a complaint with the CIABOC seeking an investigation into Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickremaratne abusing public property, a claim denied by the Secretary General of Parliament.
According to Vithana’s May pay sheet, his monthly allowance is Rs. 54,285, entertainment allowance Rs 1,000, telephone allowance Rs 50,000, sitting allowance Rs 5,000, office allowance Rs 100,000, fuel allowance Rs 97,428.92 and transport allowance Rs. 15,000. His take home pay is Rs 317, 760.92 after the deduction of Rs 1,200 for catering, stamp duty Rs. 25 and Advance Personal Income Tax (APIT).
Asked whether he regretted the releasing of pay sheets, lawmaker Vithana told The Island that in the run-up to the last parliamentary elections, held in November 2024, he had promised the Kalutara electorate he wouldn’t draw his salary. The MP said that however, he later felt the salary should be accepted and used in support of public welfare projects undertaken by him. “Therefore, the money was used appropriately,” he said, adding that both the government and Opposition MPs reacted with resentment. “I feel sort of isolated in Parliament. Hardly anyone talks to me,” MP Vithana said.
Dr. Sugathadasa said that having perused the pay sheets posted online, the GMOA had felt the urgent need to seek a clarification from Parliament as the lawmakers appeared to have received special status. The top GMOA official emphasised they wanted to establish the truth and used the RTI law to obtain information regarding the MPs’ salaries, pensions and other related information. “The GMOA made the request on 09 July, 2025. We are confident the Parliament will answer our queries,” Dr. Sugathadasa said.
Parliament meets only eight days a month. Attendance is not compulsory and there is no fixed time for lawmakers to attend sittings. Over the years, sittings have been suspended for lack of quorum.
The Island asked the GMOA official whether they would seek the intervention of the RTI Commission in case the Parliament declined to reveal the information sought by them. Dr. Sugathadasa said that the Executive Committee of the GMOA would decide the course of action if Parliament withheld information.
A few years ago Chamara Sampath, of Wijeya Newspapers, successfully moved the Court of Appeal against the Parliament after the latter refused to disclose names of Members of Parliament (MPs) who had handed over their respective declarations of assets and liabilities in 2018 and list of names of MPs who have handed over their Declarations from 2010 to the time he made the request (21 June, 2018).
The Court on 28 February, 2023, reaffirmed the RTI Commission’s stand that Declarations of Assets and Liabilities Law of 1975 (DALL) didn’t prevail over the Right to Information Act no. 12 of 2016 (RTI Act).
According to the Parliament website, an MP is paid Rs. 54,285, entertainment allowance Rs 1,000, driver’s allowance Rs 3,500 (only if driver is not provided by government). Fuel allowances are paid based on the distance from Parliament to the electoral district which each MP was elected and the approved market price of one litre of diesel on the first day of every month, telephone allowance Rs 50,000, transport allowance for personal staff Rs 10,000, and stamps worth Rs 350,000 issued to each MP annually.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
News
Udaya alleges Prez hasn’t given up efforts to bring in outsider as AG

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader and former Minister Udaya Gammanpila says President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has delayed making a permanent appointment to the post of Auditor General in a bid to bring in an outsider early next year.
Addressing the media yesterday (14), Attorney-at-Law Gammanpila said that three civil society members of the Constitutional Council, who opposed the President’s move, would be completing their term in early January next year. Instead of appointing Dharmapala Gammanpila as the Auditor General, the President had given him only an extension in service so as to get rid of him at the first available opportunity and bring in his crony from the Kelaniya University.
The former lawmaker said that the success of the President’s plan depended on the appointment of pliant civil society members to the CC, ready to help advance the NPP’s agenda.
News
Poaching: 24 boats, 181 Indians taken into custody so far this year

In spite of specific warnings issued by fisheries minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar to Indian poachers, trawlers are continuously crossing the Indo-Lanka maritime boundary.
Navy headquarters yesterday (14) said that so far this year they have detained 24 Indian fishing boats and taken into custody 181 fishermen for poaching in Sri Lankan waters. The arrested included seven taken off the Delft Island, Jaffna in the early hours of Sunday.
Navy headquarters spokesman said that operations were conducted taking into account the harmful impact of prohibited fishing practices such as bottom trawling resorted to by Indian poachers, on the livelihood of local fishermen.
Having observed Indian fishing boats off Delft, the Northern Naval Command deployed its craft to drive away those Indian fishing boats from island waters, off the Delft Island.
The detained boat and Indian fishermen were brought to the Kankasanthurai Harbour and handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Mailadi, Jaffna for legal proceedings.

Sailor disinfecting Indian boat (Pix courtesy Navy)
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