Kiriella shows flaws, deficiencies in Political Victimisation Commission report

By Saman Indrajith

Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella yesterday said that the report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on Political Victimisation was full of procedural flaws and deficiencies.

Speaking to the media in Colombo, the Chief Opposition Whip said: “There was a two-day Parliament debate on the Presidential commission on political victimization report on 22 and 23. But not a single Cabinet minister participated in the debate. The government side let its backbenchers read from scripts. The senior ministers knew the fact that the PCoI report was wrong. They also knew that the Attorney General himself had pointed out that the PCoI was exceeding its mandate by recommending the withdrawal of some 90 pending cases. The Cabinet ministers are also aware of the basic fact that a commission of inquiry is only a fact finding commission and it cannot make such recommendations. Only a superior court could give a ruling for the removal of a case in a lower court. That is a very basic principle. The PCoI report has violated that principle. That was why not a single cabinet minister spoke in the debate.”