Found enough evidence of wrongdoing - PSC

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayaka has been found guilty of three of the 14 charges that were levelled against her by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PCS) that was appointed to probe the charges.

Committee Chairman and Environment Minister Anura Priyadhsrshana Yapa presented the Committee report to the Parliament yesterday morning. Later Minister Yapa at a press briefing held at the Parliamentary complex revealed that the PSC has found enough evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the Chief Justice to find her guilty of three of the five charges they probed.

The Minister said that the committee has been able to conclude and submit its report within a period of one month. Irrigation and Water Management Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva who is also a member of the PSC said that after the Chief Justice was found guilty of three charges, there is no need to investigate the other charges as it would have been a waste of time. Minister de Silva said if the Chief Justice wants she can resign during this period of one moth or resort to some other action.

Minister Yapa said that there will be a "cooling off" period of one month from now before any other action can be initiated against the Chief Justice. The work of the Committee has been completed now. After the lapse of a period of a month, a resolution will have to be brought to parliament to impeach the Chief Justice, he said.

Among the charges Chief Justice was found guilty was removing a bench of the Supreme Court that was hearing three fundamental rights application cases filed in the Supreme Court against Ceylinco Sri Ram Capital Management, Golden Key Credit Card Company and Finance and Guarantee Company Limited belonging to the Ceylinco Group of Companies and taking these cases under her court and serving as the presiding judge of the benches hearing the said cases when she had purchased a house in Trillium Residencies.

She had also been found guilty of not declaring in the annual declaration of assets and liabilities that should be submitted by a judicial officer the details of more than twenty bank accounts maintained in various banks including nine accounts in the National Development Bank. The third count she was found guilty of using her post as Chairperson of the Judicial Service Commission to remove a Magistrate of a court which is due to hear a bribery or corruption case against Pradeep Kariyawasam, the husband of the Chief Justice in relation to legal action initiated at the Magistrate's Court of Colombo.

Minister Yapa led by the six other Government members of the Committee said that they did not find sufficient evidence to find her guilty of two other charges. He said 16 witnesses were called before the PSC including Supreme Court Judge Shiranee Thilakawardena, officials of Trillium residences, officials of the Central Bank, Inland Revenue Department, the NDB as well as the Secretary of the Judicial Services Commission.