Explaining the Gotabaya Rajapaksa Government’s decision to move the Justice Ministry to the World Trade Centre at an astronomical cost of Rs 400 million for a two-year period, Minister of Justice Ali Sabry PC claimed the move was a “big sacrifice” on the party of his ministry.
Minister Ali Sabry who led Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s private legal team for five years as the now president fought off charges of murder, money laundering and financial misappropriation, told a media conference that his Ministry was giving up a great building to accommodate the growing Court of Appeal which Rajapaksa recently packed with 14 new judges.
Minister of Justice Ali Sabry PC
The Minister of Justice claimed that his ministry was “sacrificing” their premises at Hulftsdorp at the request of the Judicial Services Commission which was concerned that the courts would have to be separated in order to accommodate the new batch of judges and their registrars and court rooms.
According to Ali Sabry PC, the Ministry would move to the judicial complex being constructed on the former BCC land once the project is completed, which the Government estimates will be in two years.
Colombo Telegraph learns based on documents submitted to Cabinet that the Treasury has already allocated more than Rs 400 million for rent for the ministry of Justice for two years.
The President’s private legal team has been on the receiving end of various bonanzas at public expense, with several of Ali Sabry’s junior lawyers being considered for judicial positions, Colombo Telegraph learns.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa has extended similar courtesies at state expense to his group of buddies in California, appointing his former travel agent as Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority and giving several friends ambassadorial positions in various parts of the world.
Speaking to Colombo Telegraph, members of the Muslim community who recall Sabry telling pocket meetings that the failure to vote for Gotabaya Rajapaksa would mean the Muslims were “finished”, said the president’s counsel had been an utter failure for the community as minister of justice.
“He is a failure. He promised all kinds of things to the Muslims on behalf of his boss Gotabaya. He said if the Muslims voted for him in the 2019 election he would see us as stakeholders in his presidency. But Ali Sabry has been powerless. He has been reduced to putting status messages on his Facebook page criticizing the government he is very much a part of. He has failed to get Hejaaz Hizbullah released from detention, even though he knows better than most that Hizbullah is innocent. In fact it is Sabry’s cases that Hizbullah took involving the Ibrahims in the District Court that has put him in all this trouble. But even beyond that, he cannot even ensure we have the basic right to burying our dead – Sabry is a failure”, said one prominent member of the Muslim community regarding the Justice Minister. (Chinthika De Silva)
Champa / December 9, 2020
Ali Sabri’s explanatory logic shows his stupidity to the fullest.
He said that he was “sacrificing” Rs.400 million to accommodate 14 politically appointed judges!!!
Is it worth it to “WASTE” Rs.28.5 million for 1 judge LIKE THIS?
Let’s do the MATH. (As we all know, lawyers and politicians aren’t good at math.)
Rs.400 million rental is for 35,071sq.ft in the WTC for 2 years.
How much does Ali Sabri “sacrifice” for 1sq.ft?
Rs.400 million/35,071 = Rs.11,405.
What is the cheapest “sacrifice”? Is it relocating the entire Justice Ministry to the WTC or providing office space for 14 judges there, which is not far from Hulftsdorp?
Let’s see.
The office space required for 1 person is more or less 100sq.ft.
∴ The total office space for 14 judges is = 1,400sq.ft.
The rental amount for 14 judges is; Rs.11,405X1,400sq.ft = Rs.15,967,000.
Which is cheaper? Rs.400 million or Rs.16 million?
(Actually, there are other economical options.)
Who is this President and the Justice Minister fooling? Certainly not us!!!
People are already repenting the electing “WORLD CLASS ROGUES” into power.
Hello, your fall is imminent.
Until then, enjoy your crab dance in the pot of boiling water!
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leelagemalli / December 10, 2020
My Dear Champa.
.
Why do LAWYER community stay further mum ?
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I now feel that has lot to do with SRILANKEN genetics. Be them buddhist, muslims or any others, all have much in common, that is they dont care much about FACTs and law and order.
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This I heard from Prof. Silva Lately, It has lot do with SCHOOL EDUCATION of the srilankens. They are not trained to cross question. Like parrots they are made to go to schools/universities and complete their education. As no other countries, with much higher literary rate, srilankens behave no different to a far poor TRIBAL state. ::::
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Kanapathy Varunan / December 10, 2020
If you could save Two Hundred million out of the Four hundred million it could be distributed to 40,000 families of Corona victims.? crime against humanity.
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SarathP / December 9, 2020
Who owns the World Trade Center? That will give an idea of Gota’s connection to WTC. Wonder how much the commission was?
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Ad / December 9, 2020
Nowhere in the world a Minister of Justice robs money in this manner. This shows how clean our Minister is. His words are good as garbage.
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Rajash / December 9, 2020
A big sacrifice by the Tax payers as well.
Its the tax payers money that could be used for tax cut/ public sector pay increase that is diverted for this stupid spending
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Buddhist1 / December 9, 2020
There is no room at Madamulana kitchen for all the new judges to write their judgements, hence Ambanda Sabry has found a new place to keep them together so that he and the Rajapakses can still get them to write judgements the way they want. Judiciary is corrupt and AG is corrupt and Minister of Justice is corrupt. All are FAIL.
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Pundit / December 9, 2020
This shameful display of extravagance at a time when millions of people are struggling to feed their families, is a reflection of the lack of empathy politicians have towards the ordinary, hard working citizens of this impoverished country .
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Ajay / December 9, 2020
Yes, Sabry threatened the Muslims to vote for Gotler if they wanted to live in this country. This is nothing but extortion … protection racket. And he’s rewarded by the Rajapaksa organized-crime syndicate by slipping him into the Parliament through the nefarious national list and making him their JUDICIAL FIXER. There will never be justice in this country until and unless he is sent packing.
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Easton Scott / December 10, 2020
Well, well, well; what do we have here? A slick-talking, third grade lick-spittle lowyer, with all 206 of his bones being crooked. A third grade lowyer who with the backing of threats and coercion, made specious legal arguments and won acquittal for his client who was accused of the most heinous of crimes, and is now reaping the unjust rewards of his unctuous mendacity, at the expense of poor people of this country who are literally starving.
400 million smackers indeed; and the rewards are bound to get larger.
Word is rife that crooked lowyer’s brother-in-law and family sought refuge in Canada, under questionable circumstances. This can be a project for a smart investigative journalist, and this sordid story exposed.
Crookedness and mendacity run deep in the family, it would seem.
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