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DEW questions NPP’s action against ex-Prez Ranil

Published

4 months ago

2025/08/27

DEW

Veteran politician D.E.W. Gunasekera yesterday (26) said that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) could have filed a case against former President Ranil Wickremesinghe over alleged misuse of public funds without creating a drawn out drama by producing him in court on a Friday night.

The CID obviously had all documentary evidence in respect of the investigation into Wickremesinghe’s visit to the UK in late September 2023, the ex-General Secretary of the Communist Party said. Therefore, there was no need for the former President to be arrested, produced in a Magistrate court and remanded pending investigations, Gunasekera mentioned.

In addition, all sensible people realised that Wickremesinghe was not going to flee the country, the one-time Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) that investigated the Treasury bond scam perpetrated, by the UNP in February 2015, said.

Responding to The Island queries, Gunasekera, while describing the alleged misuse of public funds charge against Wickremesinghe as being unprecedented and extraordinary, suggested that the powers that be would have to seek the opinion of the apex court with regard to powers and privileges enjoyed by Presidents, and abuse of procedures by the CID to curry favour with the ruling regime.

The ex-parliamentarian noted that Leader of the House, Bimal Rathnayake on March 15 this year, disclosed the allegations pertaining to Wickremesinghe’s UK visit to attend an event at the University of Wolverhampton for the celebrations of First Lady Prof. Maithree Wickremesinghe’s honorary Professorship.

Gunasekera said that the UNP, under Wickremesinghe’s leadership, worked quite closely with the JVP for about a decade. Their relationship began in the wake of Sri Lanka’s triumph over the LTTE in May 2009, Gunasekera said, adding that the consensus between Wickremesinghe and the late Somawansa Amarasinghe to field General (retd) Sarath Fonseka as the common candidate at the 2010 presidential election was a watershed moment. They even brought in the TNA, Gunasekera said, referring to the same lot fielding Maithripala Sirisena at the 2015 presidential and them siding with Premier Wickremesinghe when President Sirisena sacked him and brought in Mahinda Rajapaksa in late October 2018.

Gunasekera said why the government went out of its way to drag Wickremesinghe to court is a mystery. The ex-CP chief said that the JVP had been largely silent over the dissolution of Parliament, in June 2015, to thwart the COPE from tabling its report on the first Treasury bond scam.

Political parties, represented in Parliament, and outside, should engage in a meaningful discussion regarding perks, privileges and facilities made available to the executive and members of the legislature here and during overseas visits.

The ex-minister compared Wickremesinghe’s arrest with what he described as momentous events – the court martial of General Sarath Fonseka in 2010 and impeachment of Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake in 2013.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

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Financial contribution from Gift Sri Lanka Foundation and the Georgia Buddhist Vihara, USA, for disaster relief

Published

6 mins ago

2025/12/19

Priyan

In support of relief efforts for communities affected by the Ditwah cyclone, Gift Sri Lanka Foundation and the Georgia Buddhist Vihara (GBV), USA, have made a financial contribution of USD 16,000 to the Government’s ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund.

The relevant cheque was formally handed over on Thursday (18) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat by the Chief Incumbent of the Georgia Buddhist Vihara, Most Venerable Panamwela Vajirabuddha Nayaka Thero, to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.

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European Union provides over Euro 2.35 million Humanitarian Assistance to Sri Lanka

Published

10 mins ago

2025/12/19

Priyan

The European Union has allocated a total of Euro 2.35 million of financial assistance to Sri Lanka. This includes Euro 500,000 through IFRC and Euro 1.85 million through DG-European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) partners, WFP and UNICEF as humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka, in response to the impact of Tropical Cyclone Ditwah,

In addition to the above allocation, the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), which brings together 37 participating States, all 27 EU member States, as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine, is providing in-kind assistance to Sri Lanka.

As a part of the UCPM in kind assistance being provided, on Wednesday, 17th December, Sri Lanka received an aid shipment, with two air cargo flights arriving in Colombo from Germany, France and Luxembourg. This aid shipment included 83 tonnes of relief items such as family tents, mattresses, hygiene and kitchen kits, beds and water filters. The supplies are intended for distribution among communities most affected by the cyclone.

The arrival of the assistance was welcomed by the EU Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Carmen Moreno, French Ambassador, Rémi Lambert, and the Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy, Sarah Hasselbarth. On behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, the donations were received by Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, Director General / Europe & North America, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism and Chathura Liyanarachchi, Director, Disaster Management Center (DMC).

Italy has also provided a team of structural engineers to support Sri Lanka’s disaster assessment and recovery process.

Furthermore, the EU has activated its Copernicus Emergency Management Service (EMS) in rapid mapping mode, with around 30 maps produced so far.

The European Union has committed continued cooperation and support to Sri Lanka’s disaster recovery and rebuilding process, reaffirming the enduring friendship and strong partnership between Sri Lanka and the European Union.

News

Sajith: Met Dept. officials under virtual house arrest

Published

2 hours ago

2025/12/19

Thilina Walpola

Sajith Premadasa

… hands over proposal asking for PSC probe into govt.’s lapses

Opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday accused the government of having gagged the Meteorology Department officials, who, he said, had been placed under virtual house arrest. He claimed that they had been barred from speaking to the media.

Speaking in Parliament, Premadasa said withholding information from the public was unacceptable. He insisted that the Meteorology Department and international agencies had repeatedly issued warnings about extreme weather events between November 11 and 26. He demanded to know why Sri Lanka’s disaster management mechanism had not been activated in a timely manner.

“The key issue is why the country’s disaster management system failed to respond when the risks were clearly identified,” he told the House, describing the lapse as a serious failure of governance.

Condemning attempts to silence officials, Premadasa said acknowledging mistakes was the only way forward. “If we are wrong, we should admit it. If we are right, we should say so. Silencing professionals will help solve problems.

The Opposition Leader also called for a National Disaster Response Force and amendments to the Disaster Management Act to strengthen preparedness and response mechanisms.

Premadasa and several other Opposition MPs have submitted a formal proposal to the Speaker seeking the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee to investigate the government’s failure to mitigate the impact of Cyclone Ditwah.

The Opposition has demanded a 30-member select committee tasked with producing a comprehensive report on the institutional and administrative failures during the disaster.

Describing the government’s lack of preparedness as deeply regrettable, the MPs have said that timely action would have helped save many lives and reduced the scale of destruction caused by the cyclone.

By Saman Indrajith ✍️