Diana’s citizenship status no threat to SJB – Prof. Peiris

Dissident SLPP MP Prof. G. L. Peiris has said over the weekend that the SC judgment on State Minister Diana Gamage wouldn’t in any way affect other SJB MPs.The former External Affairs Minister alleged that following the SC ruling the government had propagated a lie that the SJB would face a legal issue as Diana Gamage, a British citizen, and her husband Senaka De Silva had owned the party, which was re-registered as the SJB.

Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s Office at Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha, Prof. Peiris emphasised that the late Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathy Sooriyaarachchi had been the original owners of that party. He was flanked by General Secretary of the SJB Ranjith Maddumabandara, who is the fourth respondent in the case filed by civil society activist Oshala Herath against Diana Gamage over her citizenship status and Ashok Abeysinghe

Several SLPP MPs, including Prof. Peiris, recently switched their allegiance to the SJB.

Prof. Peiris said that being a Sri Lankan was not a legal requirement for a person to register a political party. The ex-Minister said that Gamage hadn’t signed nomination papers of SJB candidates at the last parliamentary polls. Therefore, there couldn’t be any issue whatsoever in respect of legality of the process followed by the party, he added. (SF)