News
DONALD TRUMP INDICTED

by Vijaya Chandrasoma
Thursday, March 30, 2023. A Manhattan Grand Jury indicted Donald J. Trump on over 30 charges on financial fraud, including a felony charge for his role in paying hush money to a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign. The New York District Attorney’s office confirmed the indictment on Thursday afternoon. Prosecutors had contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney to coordinate his arraignment and surrender to authorities in Manhattan on Tuesday, April 4.
The indictment, which remains under seal, stems from a near-five-year investigation of Trump and the Trump Organization. The relevant charges will be unveiled on April 4 by New York State District Attorney Alvin Bragg.At the arraignment, Trump will be booked and presented with the charges against him. He will certainly plead “not guilty” and be released on bail. Trump has vowed to fight what he has claimed to be yet another witch hunt against him.
The 36,000 strong New York Police Department, the largest in the nation, is fully equipped to deal with any public disturbance anticipated to be caused by Trump supporters during the arraignment.
Trump became the first serving or former president in the history of the United States to be indicted on criminal charges. As the news of Trump’s indictment spread, reaction broke on familiar partisan lines, reflecting a country still divided by the deeply controversial years of Trump’s term in office, and his false rejection of the 2020 election results.
Republicans are furious in their claim that Trump is the victim of a politically motivated investigation. Vice President Pence called the indictment on a campaign finance issue an “outrage”. Trump reacted with the usually ill-spelt post on his Truth Social network, writing, “These Thugs and Radical Left Monsters have just INDICATED (sic) the 45th President of the United States of America, and the Leading Republican Candidate, by far, for the 2024 Nomination for President”.
Democratic leaders reacted as expected, echoing the chorus that “nobody is above the law”.
However, it seems premature to arrive at any conclusion about the validity and justice of the indictment until it is unveiled and charges known.
Trump is currently facing other serious charges under investigation. The District Attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, has appointed a Grand Jury to look into allegations into interference in the 2020 Georgia State election by Trump and his allies. The Department of Justice has appointed a Special Counsel to recommend necessary legal action on Trump’s role in the incitement of the January 6 insurrection and government documents illegally stored at Trump’s Mar a Lago home in Florida. All these investigations are said to be far along the line.
News
EC opposes govt. move to appoint its henchmen to monitor local councils

By Priyan de Silva
The Election Commission (ECSL) has opposed a move by the government to appoint representatives of the Chairpersons of the Regional Development Committee to monitor local government institutions.
ECSL Chairman Nimal G. Punchihewa told The Island that the government had informed the ECSL of its plan to appoint representatives of the Chairpersons of the Regional Development Committee to monitor the local government bodies and the ECSL had decided to write to the Ministry of Local Government opposing the move, he said. A Chairman of a regional development committee ESD a representative of a particular political party and it would be unfair by other parties for such appointments to be made, the EC Chairman said.
Punchihewa said that the administration of local government institutions could be done through Municipal Commissioners and Divisional Secretaries.Many political parties had complained against the government move, he said.
News
JVP says govt. has enough funds for elections

By Saman Indrajith
The JVP would file a fresh application before the Supreme Court against the government for not holding the local council polls, JVP MP Vijitha Herath said yesterday.Addressing the media at the party headquarters in Pelawatte, Herath said that his party had ascertained fresh information by invoking the Right to Information Act about the funds needed for the holding of the elections and his party would file another fundamental rights case against those responsible for conducting elections.
“The LG polls were to be held on 09 March. They were postponed until 25 April, and later they were put off indefinitely. The President appoints Governors to the provinces and the local councils are under them. Now, he says no party commands the support of 50 percent of voters.
Is this reason why he is not holding elections? His claim that there are no funds for elections is not acceptable. The Election Commission (EC) has, in a letter to the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, asked for Rs 1,100 million in installments for conducting local government elections. The Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, on 07 March, informed
the EC that the latter’s request had been referred to the Minister of Finance on the same day. But so far the money has not been released. As per a report released by the Treasury, the government revenue was Rs 177,900 million in January this year alone. Of that amount, Rs 156,760 was allocated to government institutions. The Treasury has Rs 21,410 million. In February, the government revenue was at Rs. 271,750 million and of that Rs. 208,620 million was spent. The balance was Rs 63,130 million. In January and February, the Treasury had Rs 84,270 million. These figures have been officially confirmed by a Deputy Treasury Secretary. The EC is seeking only Rs 2,460 million for elections. So, the claim that there is no money for elections is false as per official records. We will submit this information to the Supreme Court when we file a fresh application. We will prove that the government has lied to people,” Herath said.
News
Rosy’s appointment violative of election laws – Mujibur

SJB mayoral candidate for Colombo Municipal Council Mujibur Rahuman alleges that President Ranil Wickremeisnghe has violated election laws by appointing UNP’s mayoral candidate Rosy Senanayake as the Presidential Advisor on Local Government.
Participating in a talk show hosted by a private TV channel, Rahuman said that Senanayake was a candidate for the delayed local government polls. “She has submitted nominations for the Colombo Municipal Council from the UNP list. It is illegal to appoint a candidate to such a post pending an election. The local council polls have not yet been cancelled and cases pertaining to the holding of elections are in progress,” he said, adding that of all the posts the local government candidate had been given the post of Presidential Advisor on Local Governance.
“More than three months have lapsed since Senanayake stepped down from the Colombo Mayor post, but she is still occupying the Mayor’s Residence. The President says that he is implementing the system change demanded by people. The change he is actually doing is giving appointments to his cronies. Is it the change the people expected,” Rahuman queried.
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