Trade Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe has defended the participation of Sri Lankan government officials in the upcoming World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Policy Review in Geneva, following criticism over the composition of the delegation.

The WTO’s Trade Policy Review of Sri Lanka is scheduled to take place from October 14 to 17 in Geneva. Representatives from multiple agencies—including the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Finance, Central Bank, Sri Lanka Customs, and the Board of Investment (BOI)—are expected to attend, the Minister said.

“This is a discussion of trade policy, not a tour,” Samarasinghe told Parliament.

According to the Minister, Sri Lanka has received 245 questions WTO officials regarding various aspects of its trade policy, and the attending officials are expected to respond to these during the three-day review.

“We must also have a technical point of Sri Lanka, in instances where they may not be satisfied with our answers, and we have to discuss and get back to them,” he said.

Samarasinghe criticized what he described as uninformed and politically motivated comments. “Statements were made at a very low level without any understanding of such a technical process,” he said.

His comments followed remarks by MP Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, who questioned the inclusion of nine officials in the delegation, specifically pointing out the presence of a woman named Nimodi Wickramasinghe, identified as the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of a minister. “I have a question as to why she is going,” Dasanayake said. (Newswire)

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The Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court has ordered Minister of Trade Wasantha Samarasinghe, Deputy Labour Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe, and Kaduwela Mayor Ranjan Jayalal to provide statements to the CID regarding an alleged land fraud involving a two-storey building owned by the National Workers’ Institute

The court directive follows allegations that a forged deed was used to lease the property for Rs. 3.6 million. Documents presented during the investigation include certified copies of the lease agreements, minutes of meetings naming Samarasinghe as chairman of the National Workers’ Congress in 2017, and court records from Kaduwela, Mount Lavinia, and the Civil Appellate Court.

President’s Counsel Maithri Gunaratne, representing the aggrieved party, submitted 35 additional documents, asserting that despite previous arrest warrants issued in the case, suspects have not been taken into custody, with Police instead seeking the Attorney General’s advice.

In response, officers from the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau informed court that a pending case regarding the ownership of the disputed property is currently ongoing at the Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court.

As a result, due to the complexity surrounding the legal custody of the property, they were unable to determine if a criminal offence had occurred, and therefore have sought legal advice from the Attorney General before proceeding with arrests.

The case will be taken up again on August 22 (Newswire)

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