Speaker Karu Jayasuriya told Parliament yesterday that he was yet to receive the list of names of MPs alleged by UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayake to be using cocaine.
“Some members have raised the issue with regard to an allegation made by MP Ramanayake that he had given me a list of names of Ministers and MPs using cocaine.
In my absence the Deputy Speaker informed this House that there was no such list.
I inform this House that until now MP Ramanayake has not given me any such list,” the Speaker announced at the commencement of Parliament sittings yesterday.
This issue arose in Parliament on Wednesday (20) when a heated argument broke out in Parliament over State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake’s allegation that 24 MPs and ministers use drugs including cocaine. Leader of the House and Minister Lakshman Kiriella told Parliament that a Committee comprising State Minister Eran Wickramaratne, MP Prof. Ashu Marasinghe and Attorney-at-Law Nissanka Nanayakkara and chaired by him was appointed at the Government Group Meeting on Tuesday to inquire into the statement by State Minister Ramanayake. “There was a long discussion on Ramanayake’s statement at the Group Meeting and it was found out that he had not revealed any names to the Speaker, the Prime Minister, the United National Party Chairman or even to the CID. However, it was a grave statement and we decided to inquire into it,” he said. UPFA MP Bandula Gunawardena, bringing the attention of the House to the newspaper reports which said that State Minister Ramanayake had informed the Speaker on 24 MPs who use drugs via a telephone call and that the Speaker had requested the information to be handed over in writing, said that the names of the 24 MPs must be revealed to clear the names of the rest of MPs. UPFA MP Shehan Semasinghe said the DNA of all MPs must be tested to ascertain whether they use drugs, but Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa said, conducting DNA tests on all 225 MPs was unnecessary and instead proposed to conduct such tests on the said 24 MPs.
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