12 Jun 2024 | BY Sahan Tennekoon
The Morning LK News
- Lawyers org. claims lack of progress on Easter attacks probe & Prez planning to elevate AG as CJ in 6 months
The Constitutional Council (CC) has postponed granting approval for the President’s recommendation to extend the tenure of Attorney General (AG), President’s Counsel Sanjay Rajaratnam by six months.
The decision was made during a Council meeting held on Monday (10), where it was agreed to defer the discussion for further deliberation.
Rajaratnam’s current term is set to expire at the end of this month (June), and the President had proposed an extension for an additional six months.
However, the proposal requires the approval of the CC, which has been postponed.
Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana has announced that the CC is scheduled to reconvene on 18 June. It is anticipated that a final decision regarding the extension of AG Rajaratnam’s service will be reached during this meeting.
Meanwhile, the Lawyers for Truth and Justice Organisation has condemned the Government’s efforts to extend the service of Rajaratnam, citing an alleged lack of progress in the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks and that therefore, an extension is unwarranted and unproductive. Addressing the media yesterday (11), attorney Manoj Nanayakkara, speaking on behalf of the said organisation, expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of the investigations into the said attacks under Rajaratnam’s leadership. “No progress is seen in the ongoing investigations during the tenure of Rajaratnam as the AG,” claimed Nanayakkara. He further criticised the AG’s Department for failing to implement the crucial recommendations of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the attacks.
Nanayakkara also highlighted President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s claim that the Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka is supporting the AG’s service extension. However, he refuted this claim, stating that no discussions have taken place between the said Conference, Rajaratnam, or the Senior Advisor to the President on National Security, Sagala Ratnayaka.
“The President wants to appoint Rajaratnam as the Chief Justice (CJ) of the Supreme Court and therefore wants to keep him further in the position without retiring,” Nanayakkara alleged. He raised concerns over the potential conflict of interest and the integrity of the judicial process if such appointments are influenced by tenure extensions. Hence, he urged the CC to reject the proposed extension. “The CC must not endorse the extension,” he stated, urging the Council to consider the broader implications for justice and transparency in the country’s legal system.
The debate over Rajaratnam’s tenure has sparked significant controversy within the political and legal spheres while certain opposition political parties and civil society organisations maintain that the current approach undermines public trust and delays justice for the victims of the 2019 tragedy.
Speaker Abeywardana and CC member Kabir Hashim were unavailable for comment.