President of the BAR Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) Saliya Peiris has responded to claims alleging that lawyers are representing criminals in judicial trials.
Addressing an event in Colombo yesterday (23), Saliya Peiris, PC, said that the claims have been made as he had requested the President and the Constitutional Council to appoint an individual without any corruption allegations for the post of Inspector General of Police (IGP).
He further said that some people had thereafter accused lawyers and counsels of appearing for criminals in trials.
Saliya Peiris, PC, pointed out that institutional issues lead to the abuse of the law, adding that it has been proven that the Police are at the top most for the abuse of power in Sri Lanka, and this is proven by the multiple cases related to the abuse of suspects being heard in courts on a daily basis.
He further said that any person, be it a criminal, a top official, or the public requires the assistance of lawyers and counsels to address their issues in courts, and that is what lawyers and counsels are doing by representing such people in need.
Questioning if a Police officer should be allowed to determine the life of an individual, Saliya Peiris, PC, said that the lawyers will not be pressured by social media posts and will continue with their task. (NewsWire)