Motion filed against MR & Basil fixed for Thursday

July 12, 2022 at 2:48 PM

The motion that was filed at the Supreme Court by Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) and three others calling to restrict the overseas travel of 6 respondents including Former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa has been fixed for 14th July. 

TISL said that on the 17th of June, a petition was filed in the public interest calling for action against persons responsible for the current economic crisis in Sri Lanka, and the case was taken up for support for leave to proceed on the 1st of July. 

During the session, counsel appearing on behalf of two of the respondents requested the court to take up the petition along with another petition which was similar in nature. 

The court thereafter directed the matter to the Chief Justice to consider this request. After consideration, the case was to be taken up for support on the 27th of July.   

However, considering the current developments in the country, TISL filed a motion on Monday (11) requesting the Court to provide an urgent date to provide supporting arguments to obtain the interim relief requested in the original petition.  

The petition asks the court to restrict the overseas travel of 6 respondents including Former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, and Former Secretary to the Treasury S.R. Attygala, as interim measures during the pendency of the case. 

TISL said the motion is set to be taken up for consideration on the 14th of this month. 

The petition by TISL, Chandra Jayaratne, Jehan CanagaRetna, and Julian Bolling claims that the respondents named in the petition are directly responsible for the unsustainability of Sri Lanka’s foreign debt, its hard default on foreign loan repayments, and the current state of the economy of Sri Lanka. 

The petition calls for the respondents to be held accountable for their illegal, arbitrary, and unreasonable acts or omissions which culminated in the current economic crisis. (NewsWire)