Former Director General of the Land Reforms Commission, Liyanage Padmasiri, has formally apologized to Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Kandy District MP Chamindrani Kiriella for wrongly linking her name to the alleged illegal acquisition of 43 acres of government land in Hanthana.
Padmasiri expressed regret before the Parliamentary Committee on Ethics and Privileges, acknowledging that his statement before the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) on July 17 last year had been incorrect.
He conveyed his apology directly to MP Kiriella, and the Ethics Committee has since notified the COPE committee of the matter.
The COPE committee noted that the erroneous statement, which was broadcast without correction, had harmed the MP’s reputation. It instructed the COPE committee to rectify the record and report the correction to Parliament.
Kiriella had earlier raised the issue in Parliament on July 22, 2025, stating that the false reference to her name in connection with the Hanthana land case had insulted her and violated her parliamentary privileges. Her complaint was taken up by the Ethics and Privileges Committee on January 9, 2026, where Padmasiri offered his apology.
This development underscores the seriousness with which Parliament treats privilege violations and reputational harm caused by inaccurate statements made before its committees. (Newswire)