CJ SACKING MUST; U.S IMPEACHMENT CALLED ‘WITCH-HUNT’
Sandasen Marasinghe, Irangika Range and Disna
Mudalige
* Charges grave for dismissal
* Given 22 days to file answers
The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) having examined the oral and
written evidence against Chief Justice Dr Shirani Bandaranayake found
her guilty of three out of five charges investigated among the 14
charges brought against her in the impeachment motion.
The most serious among them was Charge 1, which involved the purchase
of a house in Trillium residencies (see page 8 and 9 for detailed story)
having taken over the Ceylinco case from a separate Bench.
The non-declaration of several accounts was another serious charge,
while Charge number 5 involved remaining in office and conflict of
interests, with her husband being tried in court on corruption charges.
This was revealed at a press conference held by PSC members at the
Parliamentary Complex after they submitted to Parliament the report of
the investigation on the impeachment motion against the Chief Justice.
Meanwhile, legal-expert observers pointed out that various partisan
civil society types and lawyers were pointing out that the impeachment
trial was a ‘witch hunt’ but the same was said in the United States,
about the perfectly constitutional impeachment of then president Bill
Clinton by one House of Congress!
Therefore, there will always be politically motivated and other
reasons to call a perfectly constitutional and legally in-order
impeachment process, a ‘witch hunt’ in any country, including Sri Lanka.
(“Please see page 8 and 9 for details.)
PSC chairman Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said the PSC did not
want to investigate all 14 charges as they wanted to complete the
investigation within the one month period in line with the Standing
Orders.
He said the Committee did not find her guilty on charges 2 and 3 due
to lack of sufficient evidence.
The Committee concluded that charges 1, 4 and 5 have been proved and
the serious nature of such charges warrant the dismissal of Dr
Bandaranayake from the post of Chief Justice.
Minister Yapa said Dr Bandaranayake was given 22 days time to answer
the charges which was sufficient for her to study her own bank
statements and such documents.
Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said there is a verbatim report of
the complete investigation, so nobody can say anything against it.
He queried why if there was a problem with the process of
impeachment, they all remained silent for 25 years without finding a
remedy for the matter until this impeachment motion was moved.
Minister Wimal Weerawansa said he will not hesitate to challenge
anybody to prove their decision at the PSC wrong, considering the
written and oral evidence.
They said 16 witnesses including Supreme Court Justice Shirani
Thilakawardena, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Supreme
Court Registrar D P Mudunkotuwa and Registrar of Colombo Magistrate
Court Amitha Chandrasekara gave evidence before the PSC.
Ministers Susil Premajayantha, Rajitha Senaratne, Dilan Perera and
Deputy Minister Neomal Perera were also present at the media briefing. |