Right To Information Commission Established

President Maithripala Sirisena today appointed the Right to Information (RTI) Commission of Sri Lanka upon the recommendation of the Constitutional Council.

President Sirisena has appointed senior civil servant Mahinda Gammanpila as the Chairman of the five-member Commission. Attorney SG Punchihewa, Thyaganathan Selvakumaran, former Supreme Court Judge Salim Marsoof and Lawyer and columnist Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena have been named as its members, the President's Media Division said.

The RTI Bill passed in parliament on 24th June, calls for the establishment of the "Right to Information Commission". The Commission will monitor the performance of public authorities and information officers.

The members of the RTI Commission are distinguished personalities in public life with proven knowledge, experience and eminence in law, governance, public administration, management etc.

Court rejects to issue Interpol warrant on Udayanga

Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne this morning declined to issue a warrant on former Sri Lanka Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga through the International Police – INTERPOL.

The FCID had sought to enlist the INTERPOL to issue a warrant on the former Ambassador to Russia, as he does not reside in Sri Lanka. Previous attempts to issue warrant on him through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had failed.

Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne refused to issue the warrant on the grounds that Weeratunga was not at this stage a suspect, and only wanted for questioning. She also pointed out that a case had not yet been filed in court in this regard.

The Financial Crime Division (FCID) of the Police wants to question Weeratunga on alleged financial fraud that took place in 2006, when the Sri Lanka government purchased a number of MiG fighter jets from Ukraine.

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, 6 others granted bail

Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya this morning granted former defense secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Avant Garde Maritime Services Chairman Nissanka Senadipathi and five others bail.

The seven were held on charges filed by the Bribery Commission, of allegedly causing the government a loss of Rs. 11. 4 billion, by allowing Avant-Garde Maritime Services (Pvt.) Ltd to operate a floating armory.

Rajapaksa and the six others were released on a cash bail of Rs.200, 000 each, and two sureties of Rs.10 million each. They were also banned from travelling abroad.

Hirunika fulfills bail conditions in abduction case

Colombo District UNF Parliamentarian Hirunika Premachandra yesterday fulfilled her bail conditions imposed over her alleged involvement in the abduction of a youth using a Defender belonging to her on December 21, 2015. At a previous occasion, Colombo High Court Judge Padmini N.Ranawaka Gunatilleka ordered that MP Premachandra and eight others be released on bail.

However, the eight others accused were yesterday unable to fulfill their bail conditions as they failed to produce the relevant documents pertaining to the sureties.

The Court ordered them that the relevant documents pertaining to the bail conditions be submitted in Court on October 4.

On September 21, High Court Judge Padmini N.Ranawaka Gunatilleka ordered that each accused be released on a cash bail of Rs.50,000 with two sureties of Rs.500,000.

The High Court Judge further issued an order preventing all accused from leaving the country. They were ordered to surrender their passports to Court custody.

The case was fixed for trial on January 10 and 11.

Apart from the abduction charges, the nine accused have been charged on 29 counts by the Attorney General including threatening, assaulting and intimidating Amila Priyankara after being abducted in Dematagoda.

The accused indicted are; Hirunika Premachandra, Kelum Niranjana, Kasun Malinda, Ruwan Pushpakumara, Mohammed Rizwan, Pasindu Sanjeewa, P.S. Abeysiriwardena and Jeganadacal. The eight other accused were the security officers and supporters of MP Hirunika Premachandra.

The complainant Amila Priyankara alleged that he was abducted and assaulted by a group of people who came in a black Defender to Dematagoda on December 21, 2015.

High Court overrules Wele Suda’s objections

The Colombo High Court today rejected preliminary objections raised on behalf of three accused including Gampola Vidanage Samantha Kumara alias Wele Suda and his wife  over an indictment filed against them by the Attorney General under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The Attorney General had filed indictments against three accused for laundering black money to the tune of Rs. 190 million rupee in 2006, under 57 charges that come under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

While overruling preliminary objections raised by the defence, High Court judge Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne decided to fix the case for trial on January 24 next year.

Defence counsel Shavendra Fernando PC with counsel Amila Palliyage, Eranda Sinharage and Upul Dissanayake appearing on behalf of the accused challenged the maintainability of the case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Convicted drug dealer Wele Suda who was sentenced to death by Colombo High Court was produced before Court through prison authorities.

New party soon: Basil Rajapaksa

Former Minister Basil Rajapaksa yesterday assured that a new political party would be set up amalgamating many parties and groups.

He added that the date on which the new party is to be formed could not be revealed.

He was addresing the media at former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Political Office in Battaramulla. “The date is not decided. But, it would be decided by the taxes imposed upon the people and   also the pressure exerted upon the people by the government,” Rajapaksa said when asked by the media.

“The more pressure that is exerted on the people, the sooner the new party would emerge.” He also said that if the government does not impose more taxes and exerts pressure on the people there was no need of a new party. But, Rajapaksa added that it would not be set up on October 8.

“Rather than looking forward as to when a new party is being set up, the people fear as to when a new tax is being imposed,” the former minister said.

Cash donated to Maj. Wickramage

The Bellanwila Raja Maha Vihara Chief Incumbent the Ven. Bellanwila Dhammarathana Nayaka Thera is seen handing over to retired Army Major Wimal Wickramagethe bank slips of the money deposited into his account. Major Wickramage was ordered by the Court to pay Rs. 2 million as compensation to the family of a slain LTTEr. 

The event was held at the Sunethradevi Pirivena in Pepiliyana today.

No room for special treatment for doctors' children

It is in no way possible to grant the demands made by the Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) that doctors' children be admitted to popular national schools, United National Party (UNP) MP Mujibur Rahaman told a media briefing yesterday. 

He said if this demand was met then other professionals including teachers would ask for similar benefits for their children as well. 

“In that case the children of ordinary citizens will be debarred from being admitted to such schools. Such preferential treatment to a certain section of society violates all norms of fair play and justice,” he said. He asked whether the GMOA was planning to create a class of super-rich people at the expense of the poor and the helpless by holding patients to ransom. (Yohan Perera)