News

The Court of Appeal has lifted the interim injunction that prevented the local government elections for 18 local authorities, including the Colombo Municipal Council, from being held on May 6.

The decision was made by a bench comprising Acting President of the Court of Appeal, Mohamed Laffar Thahir, and Judge Priyantha Fernando, following a motion submitted by the Attorney General.

The court also issued an order to accept the previously rejected nomination papers for these local authorities.

The Matara Magistrate's Court has ordered the release of Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon on bail, requiring two sureties of 1 million rupees each.

Tennakoon who was remanded until the 10th of April was escorted to the Magistrate's Court earlier in the day.

A warrant was issued on February 28, 2025, in connection with a shooting incident near a hotel in Weligama on December 31, 2023, which resulted in the death of an officer from the Colombo Crime Division.

The Matara Magistrate's Court had ordered the arrest of Tennakoon and eight others involved in the incident.

Following the issuance of the warrant, Tennakoon was also subjected to an international travel ban.

Despite this, he evaded arrest, prompting the police to launch a special operation to apprehend him.

In a bid to avoid arrest, Tennakoon filed a writ petition with the Court of Appeal, seeking an interim order to prevent his detention.

However, the Court of Appeal rejected his petition and instructed the police to arrest Tennakoon immediately and present him before the Matara Magistrate's Court.

The Court of Appeal also ordered legal action against individuals who assisted Tennakoon in evading arrest.

Thereafter, Tennakoon appeared before the Matara Magistrate's Court, and was remanded, and was released on bail on 10th April.

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been summoned to appear before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) in connection with an ongoing probe involving former Chief Minister and Member of Parliament Chamara Samapath Dassanayake.

Dassanayake has been in remand custody since March 27, following allegations that he caused a loss of Rs. 17.3 million to the government by withdrawing funds from six fixed deposit accounts belonging to the Uva Provincial Council before their maturity.

According to the Commission, Wickremesinghe recently provided a special statement regarding the matter, indicating that he had knowledge of the incident and may have been involved at a certain stage.

Noting that this information is relevant to the ongoing investigation, Wickremesinghe has been instructed to appear before the Commission on April 17 at 9:30 a.m., along with any relevant documents, to verify the claims made in his statement.

Samantha Ranasinghe of the National People's Power (NPP) has been appointed as a Member of Parliament, filling the seat left vacant by the passing of Kosala Nuwan Jayaweera.

The appointment was officially announced by the Election Commission.

The Government of Sri Lanka has extended financial assistance amounting to USD 01 Million to provide relief to the people of Myanmar affected by the recent earthquake.

The relevant cheque was officially handed over today (10) at the Presidential Secretariat by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, to the Ambassador of Myanmar to Sri Lanka, Her Excellency Marlar Than Htaik.

Despite the prevailing economic challenges in Sri Lanka, the Ambassador of Myanmar expressed her deep appreciation to President Anura Kumara Disanayake and the Government of Sri Lanka for this gesture of solidarity and support towards the disaster-stricken people of Myanmar.

Furthermore, the Ambassador extended her gratitude for Sri Lanka’s decision to deploy relief teams and medical personnel during this difficult time. She also noted that such acts of compassion further strengthen the longstanding religious and cultural friendship between Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

The Ambassador also briefed the Secretary to the President on the current situation in Myanmar following the earthquake.

Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Mr. Roshan Gamage, along with officials from the Embassy of Myanmar, Mr. Winh Wint Khaus Tun and Ms. Lei Yi Win, were also present at this occasion. (PMD)

Former Minister Mervyn Silva has been remanded until April 21 by Mahara Magistrate Kanchana N. Silva.

The decision was made during a court session today, where Silva's bail application was rejected.

Silva is facing charges under the Public Property Act for allegedly selling a government-assigned land to a private buyer.

The court also issued warrants for the arrest of former State Minister Prasanna Ranaweera and another suspect, who are currently in hiding.

The Court of Appeal has ordered the reinstatement of 31 previously rejected nominations for the upcoming local government elections.

The court's ruling quashes the decisions made by returning officers across several districts, including Kandy, Colombo, Jaffna, Vavuniya, Batticaloa, and Mannar.

Nizam Kariapper, PC, representing the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (MP), expressed gratitude for the court's intervention. "Today, the Court of Appeal quashed the decision of the returning officers in many districts, including Kandy, Colombo, Jaffna, Vavuniya, Batticaloa, and Mannar, and gave a writ of mandamus compelling the returning officers to accept those nomination papers which were filed by me. We are very thankful. My client will now be able to face the elections," he stated.

Former State Minister and TMVP leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, widely known as ‘Pilleyan’, has been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The reason for the arrest has not been officially disclosed yet.

Further details are expected.

The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) of Parliament, chaired by Member of Parliament (Dr.) Nishantha Samaraweera, conducted a field investigation at the Bandaranaike International Airport

The COPE recently (2025.04.02) reviewed the Bandaranaike International Airport Development Project in connection with the Auditor General’s Reports for the years 2022 and 2023 and the current performance of the Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited (AASL), and accordingly conducted this field investigation.

It was expected that the number of aircraft stands at Bandaranaike International Airport would be increased through the construction of a Remote Apron and Taxiways as part of the Bandaranaike International Airport Development Project.

However, it was observed that both the AASL and the Japanese joint venture company hired for design and consultancy services had undertaken these activities without proper technical or operational analysis. As a result, achieving the project’s objectives proved challenging.

Despite several weaknesses and practical challenges identified at the planning stage, the Committee noted that steps were taken to complete the project. Accordingly, the solutions already proposed by AASL to achieve the desired objectives of the project were also observed.

The COPE members held extensive discussions with local representatives from the Japanese joint venture and senior officials from relevant institutions. During these discussions, the Committee expressed displeasure over the financial losses incurred by the government due to these oversight issues and poor planning. The Committee recommended that, to prevent further misuse of public funds in future development activities, attention must be given to the issues arising during planning stages.

The Committee decided to reconvene with the officials from AASL in the near future to continue discussions on the matter.

The process for the removal of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) was set in motion with the approval of a proposal in Parliament.

The proposal was presented to Parliament by Attorney-at-Law Lakmali Hemachandra, a Member of Parliament from the National People's Power (NPP).

The motion received overwhelming support, with 151 votes in favor and no votes against.

The proposal which was passed, was signed by 115 Members of Parliament, was submitted to the Speaker.

According to the Removal of Officers Act No. 5 of 2002, the proposal includes 27 charges against the IGP.

Following today's (8) approval, an investigative committee must be appointed to examine these charges.

The committee will consist of a Supreme Court judge appointed by the Chief Justice, the Chairman of the National Police Commission, and an individual of distinguished standing in the fields of law or public administration.

The latter will be appointed by the Speaker with the agreement of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.

The Supreme Court judge appointed by the Chief Justice will chair the committee.

If the committee finds the IGP guilty of the charges, the Speaker will have the opportunity to include a motion for the IGP's removal in the parliamentary agenda.

The President can remove the IGP from office only if the motion is approved by a majority of the total number of Members of Parliament, including those not present.

In response to the new tariff policy imposed by the United States and its impact on Sri Lanka's economy, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake convened a meeting with party leaders today (10) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The meeting aimed to discuss the necessary steps to mitigate the economic repercussions of the new tariffs.

The President called this meeting following a request from a group of opposition MPs who emphasized the need for a thorough discussion on the matter.

During the meeting, the President briefed the party leaders on the findings of the committee appointed to investigate the impact of the new US tariff policy and the measures taken by the government thus far.

Extensive discussions were held on the recommendations presented by the committee and the proposals put forward by the opposition parties.

The meeting also covered strategies for diversifying export destinations and formulating proposals for discussions with the US government.

The party leaders agreed to consolidate the recommendations from the committee and the proposals from the opposition for further discussion.

The meeting was attended by prominent political figures including Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, MPs Harsha de Silva, S. Rasamanickam, Ravi Karunanayake, D.V. Chanaka, Mano Ganesan, Palani Digambaram, M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, Rishad Bathiudeen, Dilith Jayaweera, Jeevan Thondaman, Dayasiri Jayasekara, and A. Archuna.

MPs Gayantha Karunatileka, Kavinda Jayawardena, S.M. Marikkar, and Kader Masthan also participated in the discussions.

Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, and the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, held talks on addressing the impact of the United States' tariff policies on Sri Lanka.

During the meeting, both parties extensively reviewed the current trade relations between Sri Lanka and the United States, emphasizing the potential effects of the new US tariff policies on Sri Lanka's export sector.

The necessity to reassess these policies was highlighted, especially considering Sri Lanka's ongoing recovery from the severe economic crisis faced in 2022 and the implementation of International Monetary Fund programs without hindrance.

Ambassador Chung also made a note of the meeting on X (formerly twitter) noting that she had a productive discussion with Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath on rebalancing Sri Lanka’s trading relationship with the U.S.

She had emphasized the importance of reciprocal treatment for U.S. exports.

A fair, balanced trade relationship supports economic growth, creates jobs, and strengthens industries in both our countries, she noted.