Sujeewa wants journalists summoned over COPE reporting

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International State Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe requested from the Chair in Parliament yesterday that the editors, journalists and heads of media organisations which reported COPE proceedings of the Treasury Bond issue be summoned and questioned.

He made this request during the debate following the presentation of the COPE report in Parliament yesterday by its Chairman Sunil Handunnetti.

State Minister Senasinghe said that COPE proceedings were not open to the media.

“But media organisations published various reports,” Senasinghe said.

“They should be summoned and questioned.The COPE has been vested with powers to summon them,” he said.

Deputy Speaker Thilanga Sumathipala observed that he would discuss the matter with COPE Chairman and take actions accordingly.

JVP MP Bimal Ratnayake said that he was a member of the COPE. “I attended all sessions of the COPE meetings on Treasury bond issue,” Rathnayake said.

“I am not a member who had attended only two sessions and shout here. There were many media reports. We are against summoning media and journalists before the COPE. If you insist on summoning them you should first summon the Leader of the House.

He was the one who made statements to the media on COPE sessions. We are not political infants. The Leader of the House had made a statement first to the media and he should be summoned before COPE in the presence of the media”. At this stage, Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella said he was not a COPE member. “I got up one day and said that Hadunnetti was not suitable for the COPE Chairman post,” the Leader of the House added.

“He is the one who gave an interview to a newspaper on Treasury bond issue. We can prove it. We will prove it.”