President gears to control the Chief Justice

Monday, 20 August 2012

The President has said that he would initiate legal action against the Chief Justice’s husband, former National Savings Bank Chairman, Pradeep Kariyawasam over various irregular transactions he has been engaged in, if the Chief Justice tries to overstep her limits.

The President has made this statement to Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunge and Head of the Presidential Staff, Gamini Senrath over comments made by the Chief Justice to a group of senior judges and lawyers on safeguarding the independence of the judiciary when making decisions related to cases.

The Chief Justice has reportedly told a group of senior lawyers and judges that the people were losing faith in the judiciary due to the decisions reached by the judiciary giving into political pressure.

However, the President has said the Chief Justice would be allowed to hold the office only for a limited time period. The President has noted that the Chief Justice had given him a letter when she assumed office that she would resign from the post in five years.

Nevertheless, a senior judge said the Chief Justice had not given any such letter to the President.

Working Director of the National Savings Bank, Presidential astrologer, Sumanadasa Abeygunawardena resigned from the Bank calling on its Chairman Karaiyawasam to also resign from his post over the controversy surrounding the purchase of The Finance Company stocks by the bank.

The President however has re-appointed Abeygunawardena to the bank’s board of directors.

The President has also appointed one of his close relatives, Attorney Sumtih Wijesinghe to the bank’s board to inquire if there had been any illegal transactions that had taken place in the bank during Kariyawasam’s tenure, an official from the Presidential Secretariat said.