Speaker warns Weerawansa not to make unsubstantiated claims

Constitutional Council Chairman and Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday warned Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa not to make unsubstantiated claims.

The Speaker made this observation in reply to a complaint made by NFF Leader Wimal Weerawansa that the Constitutional Council did not approve the President’s nominee Justice Wanasundera to the post of Chief Justice. He said that the President publicly said that he sent the above name to the CC. President Maithripala Sirisena did not send retired Supreme Court Judge Eva Wanasundera’s name to the Constitutional

Council (CC) to be considered for the post of Chief Justice, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya told Parliament .

The Speaker, refuting it said that the name of Justice Wanasundera was never sent to the CC by the President. “Her name was not sent. Do not make unsubstantiated claims,” the Speaker replied.

“Then there must have been some influence from the Prime Minister’s group,” Weerawansa retorted.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe refuting Weerawansa’s claim said that he refrained from proposing any name to the President for the post of CJ.

The CC approved the President’s nomination of Justice Nalin Perera for the post of Chief Justice on October 12 last year.

UNP MP Mujibar Rahuman said that the acting appointment for the President of Court of Appeal was valid only 14 days and that period ended by Wednesday. “How can the Court of Appeal function without a President? This gives rise to a fresh judicial problem. The Constitutional Council rejected the President’s nominee Deepali Wijesundara as the President of Court of Appeal. Her acting appointment as the President of the Court of Appeal should also have been approved by the CC, but that was not sought,” he remarked.

Speaker Jayasuriya replied that President Mathripala Sirisena’s attention had been drawn to the matter.

UPFA MP Mahinda Samarasinghe, who is a member of the CC, pointed out that the 19th Amendment to the Constitution does not say what has to be done when an acting post could not be confirmed after the lapse of 14 days. “This is a vacuum in the Constitution that must be addressed in the future,” he added.