Independent Committee to study PSC report on CJ:
University lecturers laud President’s decision
CHAMIKARA WEERASINGHE
If UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon could appoint a committee on Sri
Lanka without UN approval as he did with the Darusman panel, there is no
reason President Mahinda Rajapaksa cannot appoint an independent
committee to advise him over the report of the impeachment motion on
Chief Justice Dr Shirani Bandaranayaka, Colombo University senior
lecturers yesterday said in an interview with the Daily News.
They said, President Rajapaksa’s recent decision to appoint an
independent committee to further study the report presented by the
Parliamentary Select Committee that probed articles of allegations
signed by 117 MPs in Parliament to impeach Chief Justice Dr
Bandaranayaka, was one of exemplary to the democratic world.
The decision will stand to preserve the dignity of the judiciary and
the rule of law , they said.
“Nevertheless, it appears that some political sections have been
criticizing the President’s decision on technical points, such as
whether there had been any doubts in the mind of the President about the
Parliamentary Select Committee that probed the charges of impeachment
against Chief Justice Dr Shirani Bandaranayaka,” said Colombo University
Sociology Department Senior Lecturer Jagath Wellawatta.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s decision to appoint an independent
committee over the impeachment motion against Chief Justice
Banadaranayaka has pacified the masses against a possible unrest which
certain political and NGO elements have been trying to create in the
country over the past few weeks by using the situation of the
impeachment trial of the Chief Justice, he added.
“It is saddening that we do not get to hear from these sections that
raise such concerns do not seem to raise any concern about the charges
leveled against the Chief justice of financial fraud and professional
misconduct.”
“Failing to declare her assets fully alone is more than enough to
remove the Chief Justice Dr Bandaranayaka from her office.”
“She has failed to provide details of her Bank accounts. She had
purchased a house belonging to the Ceylinco group. She had said she paid
it with a cheque whereas the Notary in Public who wrote the deed of this
transaction had said that the Chief Justice made her payment with cash
in this connection,” said Wellawatta. “Can those lawyers and politicians
come forward and say that they do not admit the existence of such
instances?” he asked. “One must not forget that Chief Justice Dr
Bandaranayaka walked out of her impeachment hearing without disproving
any of these charges,” she added.
“It was sad to see that those who have opposed the impeachment
hearing, only show up to criticize members of the PSC and they do not
say anything about the seriousness of the charges involved in the case,”
he pointed out.
The Opposition , for example have been saying that the Chief Justice
was given very little time to disprove 14 charges that have been leveled
against her.
They have been saying that the CJ was given as little as twelve or
thirteen hours to defend herself against 14 charges.
Even if the trial had taken for six moths they would have said that
the trial was unfair, he pointed out.
AFP |