JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday that President Maithripala Sirisena did not have any issue with the Constitutional Council (CC) for the past three years and that he had started to criticise it only after he joined hands with the Rajapaksa faction.
“The Attorney General, Chief Justice, IGP and Parliament Secretary General were appointed by the President. He did not have any issue with the CC during the last three years. This issue on the CC started after he changed his political camp,” he said.
He told a news conference that the Rajapaksa faction had earlier criticised the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) and Bribery Commission (BC) and since late they were criticising the Attorney General’s Department and the judiciary.
“The Rajapaksa faction attacked the FCID and BC when their cases were investigated by those institutions. Most of their cases have been investigated and are now in the process of finalising them at the AG’s Department and some are taken up in courts. That is why they have stopped attacking the FCID and BC and started to attack the AG’s Department and judiciary,” he said.
Mr. Dissanayake said the ulterior motive of attacking the CC was to protect fraudsters. He said the President had claimed that the CC had not given any reason for its refusal of names sent by the President to be appointed to top posts.
“The President has said that the name sent by him to appoint the Appeal Court President was rejected twice by the CC without giving any reason. The name was rejected based on a report of the Chief Justice. According to the Constitution, the CC should not give reasons for refusal of names sent by the President. The President also does not give any reason when he appoints a Vice Chancellor to a University out of three individuals,” he said.
He said the Constitutional Council had requested for an appointment with the President three times to discuss the matter but he had not given any chance for discussion.
Courtesy: Daily Mirror
