{"id":223200,"date":"2021-10-17T13:34:43","date_gmt":"2021-10-17T08:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=223200"},"modified":"2021-10-18T09:21:23","modified_gmt":"2021-10-18T03:51:23","slug":"dangers-of-persecution-against-opposition-figures-loom-key-legal-fraternity-personnel-involved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/dangers-of-persecution-against-opposition-figures-loom-key-legal-fraternity-personnel-involved\/","title":{"rendered":"Dangers Of Persecution Against Opposition Figures Loom: Key Legal Fraternity Personnel Involved"},"content":{"rendered":"

Facing mounting discontent island-wide due to misgovernance, inefficiency, reversal of policies almost overnight, the galloping cost of living etc., the Rajapaksa regime now appears to be on a calculated path to weaken the Opposition by going against key Opposition figures. The plan is to create havoc in the Opposition and win the Provincial Council elections to be held in the first half of 2022.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Justice Priyantha Jayawardena<\/p><\/div>\n

It is reliably understood that the groundwork has been laid to move against Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa<\/a><\/span> for alleged misappropriation of monies of the Central Cultural Fund, which came under him during the Yahapalanaya government. Already, SJB leaders are wondering why Premadasa is reluctant to oppose the Rajapaksa regime in a more confrontationist manner, reminiscent of how UNP leader J.R. Jayawardene, ably assisted by his father R. Premadasa, gave a tough time to the Sirimavo Bandaranaike government, which too had a 2\/3 majority. According to sources, the Government is in no hurry to take the ultimate step, preferring to strike when it would be most effective.<\/p>\n

The Special Presidential Commission headed by Supreme Court Justice Priyantha Jayawardena<\/a><\/span> is expected to begin sittings soon.<\/p>\n

The Presidential Commission on Political Victimisation headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Upali Abeyratne<\/a><\/span> had identified 22 political leaders and individuals connected to the Yahapalanaya government for the alleged violation of the Constitution in establishing an Anti-Corruption Committee and the Anti-Corruption Committee Secretariat. Among those named are former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, former Ministers Mangala Samaraweera, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Rauff Hakeem, Malik Samarawickrama and Sarath Fonseka, TNA Leader R. Sampanthan, TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran, JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, lawyer J.C. Weliamuna, former M.P. Dr. Jayampathi Wickramaratne, senior detective Shani Abeysekera and Deputy Solicitor General Thusith Mudalige. The Presidential Commission on Political Victimisation was referred to as the \u201cPissu Poosa\u201d Commission by several Opposition MPs in Parliament.<\/p>\n

The Special Presidential Commission has been mandated to report on whether civic disability should be imposed on those named in the report of the Presidential Commission on Political Victimisation. In the 1980s, the J.R. Jayawardene Government stripped the civic rights of former Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike for seven years under the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry Act for the alleged abuse of power during her period of office as Prime Minister and was thus denied of the opportunity of challenging J.R. Jayawardene at the Presidential election of 1982.<\/p>\n

According to reliable sources, Genesh Dharmawardena, a known acolyte of the Rajapaksa family, has been tasked with \u201ccoordinating\u201d with the Special Presidential Commission. Dharmawardena is presently the Public Trustee and was Director-General of the Commission on Bribery and Corruption during the previous Rajapaksea regime. He has also been Additional Secretary (Legal) at the Prime Minister\u2019s Office. Despite the high offices held by him, Dharmawardena is described as a mediocre lawyer.<\/p>\n

Justice Priyantha Jayawardena himself is close to the Rajapaksa family, having been the legal advisor to Basil Rajapaksa<\/a><\/span> before he was appointed to the Supreme Court, raising many eyebrows in the legal fraternity. According to Hulftsdorp wags, he was on his \u201cbest behaviour\u201d during the Yahapalanaya Government but is now back to his old self. Jayawardena is known to be keen to succeed Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya<\/a><\/span>. It is no secret that there is no love lost between the two. Rumour has it that the Rajapaksa regime would like to see Jayasuriya retire prematurely. Jayasuriya was appointed as Attorney General and later Chief Justice under the Yahapalanaya Government.<\/p>\n

Jayawardena is now working tirelessly in the Commission and has picked his own Police team to assist the Commission. Additional Solicitor General Rohantha Abeysuriya, who led the team of lawyers from the Attorney-General\u2019s Department to assist the \u201cPissu Poosa\u201d Commission will lead the team assisting the Priyantha Jayawardena Commission as well. Abeysuriya is well-known in the Department as being pro-Rajapaksa and a strong Sinhala nationalist.<\/p>\n

On 15 October, the \u201cLanka C News\u201d a website close to Minister Wimal Weerawansa carried a news item, obviously planted by the Government, that Ranil Wickremesinghe, Rajitha Senaratne, Champika Ranawaka, Sarath Fonseka and Anura Kumar Dissanayake are in danger of losing their civic rights. (By Saman Gamaarchch)<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":218262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2186,1,2375],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-223200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-featured-news","category-news","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\nDangers Of Persecution Against Opposition Figures Loom: Key Legal Fraternity Personnel Involved - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/dangers-of-persecution-against-opposition-figures-loom-key-legal-fraternity-personnel-involved\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dangers Of Persecution Against Opposition Figures Loom: Key Legal Fraternity Personnel Involved - 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