By Shamindra Ferdinando

The National Freedom Front (NFF) says the ongoing investigations into Dr. Shafi Shahabdeen’s alleged involvement in Easter Sunday attackers and nonconseual sterilisation of women in Kurunegala had been seriously weakened by the government’s controversial decision to pay him back wages.

The Constituent party of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) yesterday (20) called a special media conference at its Pitakotte party office to explain how the government had undermined multiple investigations, including one handled by the CID much to the dismay of the Easter Sunday victims and those sterilised against their wishes.

State Minister Jayantha Samaraweera flayed the Public Service Commission and the Health Ministry over the payment of back wages and reinstatement of Dr. Shahabdeen. However, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella’s Office in a statement issued on Dec 17, at the onset of the controversy, stressed that Dr. Shahabdeen hadn’t been reinstated though the Director, Kurunegala Hospital was  instructed to pay his back wages.

Lawmaker Samaraweera, who represents the six-member NFF parliamentary group, said that they were quite surprised the way attempts were being made to undermine the investigations taking place at a snail’s pace. The Kalutara District MP alleged that under the current dispensation, too, investigations were being handled in a shoddy manner. According to him, the then Health Secretary Wasantha Perera following an investigation conducted by the Director, Kurunegala Hospital had sent Dr. Shahabdeen on compulsory leave, instead of initiating a proper inquiry under the PSC. MP Samaraweera claimed that Dr. Shahabdeen had been sent on compulsory leave with a view to saving him and that had happened now.

Dr. Shahabdeen was granted bail in July 2019.

State Minister Samaraweera sought an explanation from law enforcement authorities regarding Dr. Shahabdeen’s alleged involvement with Easter Sunday terror attacks mastermind Zahran Hashim. The lawmaker claimed that Dr. Shahabdeen had been investigated for giving access to an associate of Zahran Hashim Rs 440 mn. The alleged connection came to light following an arrest made after the 2019 Easter Sunday blasts, the State Minister said.

Lawmaker Samaraweera said that the CID recorded statements from 601 Kurunegala women whereas 8,000 were believed to have been sterilized over a period of time.

Responding to allegations, the Health Ministry said that the Health Services Committee of the PSC on June 11, 2019 approved that Dr. Shahabdeen be sent on compulsory leave. This was in line with recommendations made by a six-member expert committee that inquired into sterilization of Sinhala women during Dr. Shahabdeen’s tenure at the Kurunegala hospital, the health ministry spokesperson said.

The expert committee, in an interim report dated January 20, 2020 that had been submitted to the PSC recommended he be placed further on compulsory leave to enable the continuation of the investigations, the ministry spokesperson said.

In spite of Dr. Shahabdeen being granted bail and repeated requests to relevant authorities to reinstate him the Health Services Committee of the PSC on Oct 12, 2020 recommended that he be continued to be placed on compulsory leave, the spokesperson said, adding that on Oct 27, 2020, Dr. Shahabdeen requested the PSC and the Health Secretary again that he be reinstated and paid back wages, the ministry official said.

Subsequent to that intervention, the Director of the Kurunegala Hospital had been directed to pay Dr. Shahabdeen’s back wages and also sought an explanation as to why the payment was not made earlier in terms of the relevant sections of the Establishment Code. Accordingly, the Health Ministry has issued necessary instructions for the payment of back wages though Dr. Shahabdeen hadn’t been reinstated.

State Minister Samaraweera attacked the decision on the part of the health ministry to call for an explanation from Director Kurunegala Hospital in that regard. The former JVPer accused the government of illegally influencing in Dr. Shahabeen’s case at a time the administration was under fire from the Catholic Church over the ham-fisted handling of the Easter Sunday case.