Former Treasury Secy asked to notice respondents

Wasantha Ramanayake

The Supreme Court yesterday directed former Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundara to notify the respondents in the Lanka Marine Services Ltd, (LMSL) rights application before supporting his motion seeking to relieve him from an affidavit.

President’s Counsel Faiz Musthapa appearing for P.B. Jayasundara under took to notify the respondents and support the motion on August 3. The counsel submitted that he had tendered notice to the Attorney General and Attorney General Mohan Pieris PC appeared in the Court but did not make any submissions.

The former Secretary to the Treasury filed the motion seeking to relieve him from an affidavit dated October 16, 2008 given to the court stating that he would not in future accept any offices in the Government.

The former Secretary to the Treasury stated in his motion that the President had requested him that his service as the Secretary to the Treasury and the Secretary to the Finance and Planning Ministry was required in the national interest.

He however, stated that the affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court in pursuant to Court order in the aftermath of the delivery of the judgment in the LMSL right’s plea was barring him from accepting any office in the Government. He sought the Court to relieve him from the affidavit tendered to the Court pursuant to the Court order.

He stated that the President was vested with the power under the Constitution to appoint secretaries to the Ministries and they could hold the offices until the dissolution of the Cabinet of Ministers.

President’s Counsel Faiz Musthapha appeared for the former Secretary to the Treasury.

M.A. Sumanthiran with Viran Corea appeared for petitioner Vasudeva Nanayakkara in the LMSL rights plea.

The motion was fixed for support on August 1.