Move to deprive ex-minister's civic rights quashed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 April 1999, 14:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme court today quashed the findings and recommendations of the Special Presidential Commission to inquire into the alleged abuse of power and malpractices by former UNP strongman Wijepala Mendis. The the three member bench of the Court, Justice Mark Fernando, Justice D.P.S Gunasekera and Justice D.S Gunawardena, ordered the state to pay 40000 rupees as legal cost to Mr.Mendis

The Special Presidential Commission (SPC) was appointed by the PA soon after it came to power for investigating alleged abuse of power and corruption in the government when the UNP was in power. The SPC stated in its finidings, inter alia, that Mr.Wijepala Mendis, while he was the Minister of Transport and Highways in the UNP regime, had abused his powers to acquire lands through irregular means.

The SPC recommended that the ex-minister be deprived of his civic rights. However, a member of the SPC, Mr. Ninian Jayasuriya, declined to give his assent to the Commission's final report.

The SPC's findings and recommendation were presented in Parliament as a motion and were half debated, when Mr. Mendis filed the case against the SPC's findings and recommendations in the supreme court.