PSC members given CJ’s bank account data

By Saman Indrajith-December 5, 2012, 

Each member on the Parliamentary Select Committee probing allegations, mentioned in the impeachment motion, against Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake, was yesterday provided with a set of copies containing details of bank accounts under her name and her assets declarations.

The PSC commenced its sitting at 10.30 a.m. and its main concern was the repeated demands by the lawyers defending the Chief Justice, that documentary evidence and proof pertaining to the charges be made available to them, sources said.

The copies had been obtained from the relevant institutions by the Secretary General of Parliament on behalf of the Committee. The committee members, with the assistance of legal advisors, commenced scrutinizing the documents and the process is expected to continue this morning too.

Copies would be made available to Chief Justice Bandaranayke’s lawyers when they appear before the PSC today.

Though the PSC commences sittings today at 10.30 a.m., the Chief Justice and her team of lawyers are required to be present at 2.30 p.m.

Sources said that the PSC, of which the majority is from the government, continued to reject the request from the lawyers of the Chief Justice to grant them five additional weeks to provide detailed responses to the charges levelled against her. Apart from that request, there was another from the four Opposition Members of the PSC—Chief Government Whip John Amaratunga, UNP MP Lakshman Kiriella, TNA MP R Sampanthan and JVP MP Vijitha Herath—for a postponement of sittings as they had previously made arrangements for the one-month-long parliamentary vacation, commencing on Dec. 8 and ending Jan.  8.

The one month’s time given to the PSC would end on Dec. 14 and its Chairman, Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, would have to consider the request from the Opposition Members and if the PSC decided to postpone sittings by one month, he, on behalf of the PSC, would have to make a request to the Speaker to that effect before Dec. 8, for additional time for the PSC, sources said.  

The Opposition members also pointed out PSC, which looked into allegations against a former Chief Justice Neville Samarakoon, in 1984, had taken six months to finalize its report.

They also made a request that a separate secretariat for the Select Committees be set up in the Parliamentary Complex so that correspondence and other coordinating activities could be channeled through that office with regard to the PSCs. The committee reached consensus on this score, according to sources and their request is expected to be forwarded to the Speaker.