Presidential advisors propose withdrawal of impeachment motion

Tuesday, 04 December 2012

Several senior Presidential advisors and senior minister shave met the President and requested him to withdraw the impeachment motion against the Chief Justice since it would have a long term political benefit given the pressure that could be put on the government by the international community.

Several governing party members in the parliamentary select committee (PSC) probing the impeachment motion had also participated in the discussion. The senior Presidential advisors have said that although a majority of the people in the country was unaware of the impeachment motion process, it would have a negative impact on the country during the UNHRC sessions in Geneva in March and at the Commonwealth Heads of State summit in September.

Several lawyers who are close to the President have also discussed the matter with him and Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has said that a statement against the judiciary should be made by the Speaker. The President had then assigned the task of preparing the statement to former Attorney General Mohan Peiris. The President had also said that it was important to get the support of the Opposition and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe for the task.

The President had then telephoned Ranil Wickremesinghe and informed him that the Leader of the House would be making a statement in parliament on the supremacy of the legislature and had asked the UNP Leader to explain the stance of the UNP on the matter.

Afterwards, it had been discussed on the intermediaries who needed to be taken in to the process in order to conclude the impeachment motion process in a manner that would be beneficial to the government.

A majority of the people at the discussion had said that head of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), Attorney and parliamentarian Wjedasa Rajapakse would be the best person for the job.