Public Security Ministry Secretary Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Jagath Alwis has refuted reports that he had tendered his resignation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday (23).
According to The Morning, Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Jagath Alwis said that he had not tendered his resignation as claimed earlier.
He added that, however, once a new Minister is appointed, they may choose to appoint a different Secretary to the Ministry.
It was reported that Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Jagath Alwis has tendered his resignation stepping down as the Public Security Ministry Secretary hours after recording a statement with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
He had recorded a nearly 4-hour long statement on the incidents that took place on the 09th of May in Colombo, which led to unrest breaking out across the country.
Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Jagath Alwis has been accused of instructing SDIG Deshabandu Tennakoon of the Western Province not to fire water cannons or tear gas to disperse the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) loyalists who had attacked anti-government protesters near the Temple Trees and at the Galle Face Green in Colombo.
Minister Ramesh Pathirana informed Parliament that Jagath Alwis and IGP C.D. Wickramaratne had both issued the order, and it was lifted following the direct intervention of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Meanwhile, the BAR Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) also had raised concerns about letters sent by Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Jagath Alwis to the Chief Justice and the Attorney General pertaining to cases related to anti-government protests.
He was accused of having allegedly attempted to interfere with the functions of the judiciary in respect of pending cases relating to protests. (NewsWire)
