JICA funding controversy: Colombo Law Society finds fault with BASL over procedural failure and lack of transparency

Close on the heels of nearly 100 lawyers calling for the resignation of those allegedly responsible for wrongdoing in respect of highly questionable handling of funds of the JICA-BASL project, pending an internal investigation and final determination of the matter, the executive committee of the Colombo Law Society (CLS) has passed a resolution critical of the Bar Association.

A group of lawyers wrote to the five-member committee inquiring into it on May 28 and the CLS called a special meeting last Thursday (30) to discuss the issue. The decision-making Bar Council appointed a five-member team, comprising Presidents Counsels, Dr. K. Kanag-Isvaran, Dr. Faisz Musthapa, Ikram Mohamed, Rienzie Arsekularatne and Geoffrey Alagaratnam, to inquire into the matter and submit its recommendations within six weeks.

Sources said that the Executive Committee of the CLS discussed the issue at length and reached the conclusion that due procedure and transparency had been seriously lacking in the manner the BASL had handled the JAICA funds.

The Island revealed on May 13, 2024, in a lead story headlined ‘BASL in JICA-funded anti-corruption study controversy’ how Rs 19 mn out of Rs 21 received from JICA had been shared by lawyers. Later, it transpired that one lawyer, out of the five-member group, hadn’t taken his cut.

The members of the CLS executive committee later passed a resolution condemning the lack of procedure on part of the BASL in the issue of handling JICA funds and called upon the current President of the BASL Kaushalya Nawaratne to immediately step down and also called upon the management committee to step down pending investigations over the matter (SF)