A total of 28 witnesses of the prosecution have testified before the Committee of Inquiry probing allegations of gross abuse of power against suspended Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandhu Tennakoon.

According to a Parliament statement, 07 witnesses of the prosecution testified before the Inquiry Committee yesterday.

The Committee has also approved two additional witnesses to testify after 26 June, after the Additional Solicitor General, President’s Counsel Dileepa Peiris and Deputy Solicitor General Rajitha Perera, representing the Attorney General’s Department, pointed out that these two witnesses are abroad on official business and are scheduled to return to the island on 26 June.  

With the consent of Attorney-at-Law R.S. Weerawikrama, who appeared for the Respondent Deshabandu Tennakoon, the Committee approved that the two witnesses be summoned for testimony and cross-examination on a date after 26 June.

The approvals were given when the Committee met for the fourth consecutive day yesterday under the chairmanship of Supreme Court Justice P.P. Surasena, and committee members Justice W.M.N.P. Iddawala and Chairman of the National Police Commission Lalith Ekanayake.

Although the Committee had originally planned to reconvene tomorrow as well, Attorney Weerawikrama requested a postponement until Monday (23 June) to prepare the suspended IGP’s defence.

With the consent of the representatives of the Attorney General’s Department, the Committee approved this request. As such, the next hearing is scheduled for 23rd June, and will continue daily until Wednesday (25 June), starting at 9:30 a.m. each day. During these sessions, witnesses listed on behalf of Deshabandu Tennakoon will be summoned to testify before the Committee.

It was also announced that 15 witnesses are expected to testify on behalf of the Respondent during these three days. Following this, the Committee is set to reconvene at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday (26 June). (Newswire)

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Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has called on the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka to conduct an inquiry into the activities of two judges in the Judicial Services Association of Sri Lanka. 

Issuing a statement, Minister Rajapakshe said the said judges had violated the circular issued by the Chief Justice in 2016 prohibiting judges from communicating with print or electronic media, and via social media. 

The Justice Minister pointed out that the justices had criticised the minister’s recent statement in Parliament concerning corruption among lower court judges.

He said the Judicial Services Association, via a statement, had criticised him for revealing such details in Parliament and for having called for action against such corrupt activities. 

In a letter addressed to Speaker of the House Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, the Justice Minister called for an inquiry to be conducted into the actions of the two justices and to summon them before the Parliamentary Committee on Ethics and Privileges. (Newswire)

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