The Parliamentary Secretariat of Sri Lanka has dismissed as false the news reports circulating in the media under the headline “Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne has decided to take strict action regarding a group of employees using drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes within the Parliamentary premises.”
Issuing a statement, the Secretariat stated that the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka has informed that the news being circulated under the said headline is completely baseless and untrue.
Furthermore, the Secretariat clarified that Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne has never instructed any official of the Parliament of Sri Lanka to take strict action against such groups of employees.
The Secretariat also stressed that reports claiming the Speaker issued such instructions after receiving information that certain employees, including those in the catering division, were secretly using alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes are false.
Accordingly, the Parliamentary Secretariat reiterated that media reports alleging the Speaker blamed parliamentary officials for allowing such situations to develop are entirely baseless and untrue. (Newswire)