CA quashes findings of Presidential Commission of Inquiry headed by retired SC Justice Upali Abeyratne

By AJA Abeynayake

The Court of Appeals yesterday issued a writ order quashing the recommendations and findings of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry that investigated Allegations of Political Victimisation, against a group of individuals, including incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe and JVP/NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The order was issued by a three-judge bench, led by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne. Other members of the bench were Justices D.N. Samarakoon and Mohamed Lafar Thahim. The writ order also quashed the findings by the same Commission of Inquiry on retired SSP Shanie Abeysekera, former Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, Attorney-at-Law JC Weliamuna and Dr. Jayampathy Wicremaratne.

The three-member Presidential Commission of Inquiry chaired by retired Supreme Court Judge Upali Abeyratne was appointed by then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 20 Jan., 2020 to inquire into allegations of political victimisation in the wake of investigations conducted by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, FCID, CID and the Special Investigation Unit of the Police from January 8, 2015 to November 16, 2019.