{"id":232231,"date":"2023-04-20T03:38:10","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T22:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=232231"},"modified":"2023-04-28T10:30:04","modified_gmt":"2023-04-28T05:00:04","slug":"is-the-basl-undermining-the-rule-of-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-the-basl-undermining-the-rule-of-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Is The BASL Undermining The Rule Of Law?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By <\/b>Amrit Muttukumaru<\/a> –<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Amrit Muttukumaru<\/p><\/div>\n

The\u00a0Organisation of Professional Associations\u00a0of Sri Lanka (OPA) must be called out on its sanctimonious <\/b>statement issued obviously on behalf of its constituent member \u2013 BASL<\/a><\/span> (Bar Association of Sri Lanka):\u00a0<\/span>\u201cThe OPA firmly believes that in a representative democracy the elected representatives and the government are responsible for the sovereign people. Therefore, there is a constitutional responsibility to protect the independence of the judiciary and also to ensure that the rule of law is not undermined.<\/span>\u201c (Colombo Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>\u2018<\/span>Protect Independence of the Judiciary: OPA<\/span><\/a><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/span>)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Prior to pontificating <\/b>to the \u201cSpeaker of the Parliament\u201d and parliamentarians, should not the OPA first <\/span>put its own house in order in regard to its constituent members – in this instance the BASL which has not even acknowledged <\/b>receipt of my e-mail of 31 March 2023 sent to its \u2018Professional Purpose and Ethics\u2019 standing committee regarding an <\/span>\u2018open and shut\u2019<\/b> case of a seemingly fraudulent<\/b> \u2018Power of Attorney\u2019 which has been \u2018Certified and Attested\u2019 by a prominent attorney-at-law.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Voluntarily Given?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The authorities are asked to believe<\/span> that the \u2018Power of Attorney\u2019 of a former Chairman\/Managing Director of arguably the country\u2019s most visible conglomerate<\/b> has been voluntarily<\/b> given after he is said to have placed his \u201cleft hand thumb impression\u201d under questionable<\/b> circumstances.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite it being widely <\/b>known among the Colombo based business and professional community that this person is sadly incapacitated <\/b>since July 2013<\/b> to date in every manner with the exception of breathing on his own, this attorney has claimed without corroboration<\/b> from even a single<\/b> qualified medical <\/b>practitioner<\/b> that this person <\/span>\u201cappeared to be of sound mind memory and understanding and fully capable of any act requiring thought, judgment and reflection\u201d!<\/p>\n

This is not all, while tacitly accepting<\/b> the authenticity<\/b> of the \u2018Power of Attorney\u2019 provided by me, the attorney without any embarrassment states:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cthe law only requires\u00a0a Notary to satisfy himself as regards the mental capacity of the Executant\u201d<\/b>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My demand that the attorney confirms<\/b> that the \u2018Notary\u2019 can do so without <\/b>the intervention of competent medical practitioners <\/b>has been ignored<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Need for a \u2018Power of Attorney\u2019?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Since in the opinion of the attorney, the person giving the impugned<\/span> \u2018Power of Attorney\u2019 (i) \u201cappeared to be of sound mind memory and understanding\u201d (ii) the given address <\/b>of this person and his \u2018Attorneys\u2019<\/b> \u2013 wife and two adult children are one and the same <\/b>(iii) the person concerned has never left the country since he fell ill in July 2013 <\/b>\u2013 does not the question arise why there was a need<\/b> for a \u2018Power of Attorney\u2019 in the first place?<\/p>\n

The \u2018Power of Attorney\u2019 is completely \u2018open ended\u2019 and gives his wife and two adult children untrammeled<\/b> powers \u201cwithout limitation and with power to act jointly and\/or severally and\/or individually\u201d in regard to all his assets<\/b> which includes his large holding of company shares<\/b> and cash deposits.<\/p>\n

Is it not an anomaly<\/b> for the person giving the \u2018Power of Attorney\u2019 and his \u2018Attorneys\u2019 to function at the same<\/b> time? This maybe a first in this country!<\/p>\n

Conglomerate Complicit?\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

1) In the context of the general belief\/understanding that the person giving the \u2018Power of Attorney\u2019 is definitely not<\/b> of \u201csound mind memory and understanding\u201d, is it not unlawful\/inappropriate<\/b> for the conglomerate to have deemed it fit and proper<\/b> to have this person as a \u2018Director\u2019<\/b> of an associate company? The question is whether here too he has placed his \u201cleft hand thumb impression\u201d on all connected documents?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2) This person is also \u2018Chairman Emeritus\u2019 of this conglomerate.<\/p>\n

3) Coincidentally<\/span> the legal chambers <\/b>of this attorney is in a building owned by the wife of the <\/span>Deputy Chairman & MD and major shareholder of this conglomerate.<\/p>\n

Systemic Corruption<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

It is hoped the BASL will not emulate the corrupt CA Sri Lanka<\/b>. I know a thing or two about corruption in the agency regulating the chartered accountancy profession in this country since I am the complainant to CA Sri Lanka on the professional misconduct<\/b> of PwC and EY<\/b> in relation to the fraudulent <\/b>privatization of Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC). The chartered accountants concerned have still not been made accountable. Some of them have entered the board rooms of this conglomerate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This \u2018open and shut\u2019 case is SYMPTOMATIC<\/b> of the corruption plaguing this country. It could never occur if big business does not receive political cover which leads to impunity<\/b> due to the nonchalance of regulatory agencies which in turn emboldens miscreant professionals. This is aided and abetted by the businessmen owned mainstream media hungry for advertising revenue.<\/p>\n

Let us see whether the \u2018Daily FT\u2019<\/em> which is the country\u2019s only stand-alone business newspaper which published \u2018OPA stands firm on independence of Judiciary<\/a><\/span>\u2019<\/span> will publish this article?<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In most instances of whistle blowing, the standard practice of wrongdoers in this country is to \u2018shoot the messenger\u2019<\/b> with lies and deception or even the abuse of process of court which eventually is doomed to fail.<\/p>\n

Even if for argument<\/b> the messenger is a \u2018nasty piece of work\u2019, are not the credibility<\/b> of the message and the messenger two separate<\/b> issues?<\/p>\n

Connected correspondence have been copied to inter-alia (i) Kaushalya Nawaratne<\/b> – President, BASL (ii) Ms. Suranee Samarasekera – Administrative Secretary \/ CEO of BASL (iii) Ms. Wasantha Perera – Secretary, Ministry of Justice (iv) Pradeep Mahamuthugala – Supreme Court Registrar.<\/p>\n

Should not the BASL (i) acknowledge receipt<\/b> of my e-mail dated 31 March 2023 sent to its \u2018Professional Purpose and Ethics\u2019 standing committee? (ii) demand from me a certified copy<\/b> from the \u2018Land Registry\u2019 Colombo of <\/span>\u2018Power of Attorney\u2019 No: 1137 dated 30 July 2017?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It must be emphasized that amidst the \u2018bad eggs\u2019, there are some excellent principled professionals. The problem is their SILENCE<\/b> as in this instance.<\/p>\n

The IMF<\/b> which is supposed to be alarmed about systemic corruption in Sri Lanka better look deeper\u00a0 <\/span>where the name of the game is impunity<\/b>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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