BASL urged to take a stand

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The Jathika Jana Balawegaya (JJB) has accused President Ranil Wickremesinghe of seeking to influence the judicial process in respect of a petition against domestic debt restructuring at the expense of the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and the Employees’ Trust Fund (ETF).

Addressing the media at the JJB office in Colombo, Attorneys-at-Law Sunil Watagala, Upul Kumarapperuma and J. M. Wijebandara said President Wickremesinghe had intervened in a matter before the Supreme Court.

The JJB lawyers found fault with the President’s declaration that he wouldn’t, under any circumstances, accept advice, or directives, from anyone, other than Parliament, regarding the domestic debt-restructuring.

President Wickremesinghe said so at the 29th AGM of the Coconut Growers’ Association. Watagala described the President’s declaration as an attempt to browbeat the judiciary.

The Supreme Court on 27 July announced that the JJB petition would be considered on 27 Aug. Watagala filed the petition on behalf of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union, its President former MP Wasantha Samarasinghe, and six others.

Wickremesinghe had misinterpreted the relevant sections of the Constitution to pursue an agenda taking advantage of a particular section that dealt with how legislative power of people should be exercised through Parliament, Watagala claimed, stressing that the people’s sovereignty was exercised by the executive, legislature and judiciary.

Commenting on the domestic debt-restructuring process implemented in terms of an agreement with the IMF, Watagala alleged the whole process was contrary to parliamentary Acts pertaining to EPF and ETF as well as violation of fundamental rights, enshrined in the Constitution.

Watagala said that during the JRJ administration, ruffians pelted stones at some judges’ residences. President Mahinda Rajapaksa had caused Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake to be impeached, he said, pointing out that such acts never helped the executive to attain the desired power, the JVPer said.