UNP warns of mass protests unless govt. heeds SC ruling

By Shamindra Ferdinando

UNP Deputy Leader and parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa yesterday said that there would be a mass uprising if the government went ahead with the impeachment process to remove Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, regardless of Thursday’s Court of Appeal ruling.

Premadasa urged the government to heed the warning or face the consequences.

The Court of Appeal said the steps that had been so far taken and would be taken by a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC), appointed under Standing Order 78A, were prime facie void.

The Court of Appeal read out the Supreme Court interpretation in respect of Article 107/3.

Ministers manipulating system for personal agendas – FUTA

Law College entrance controversy

by Dasun Edirisinghe

Commenting on the controversy over the Law College entrance examination results, the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) yesterday claimed that it was another example of politicians abusing the system.

FUTA President Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri told The Island that it was unusual that a majority of students from a particular ethnic community had topped the results list of the Law College entrance examination last year, but it could definitely be another deliberate manipulation of the examination system.

Govt. wants US$ 1bn from IMF

* Budgetary support:

Treasury Secretary Dr. P. B. Jayasundera said the government would ask the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a US$ 1 billion loan for budgetary support as the government plans not to go for any international commercial borrowings this year.

Dr. Jayasundera said the Treasury would discuss a loan of up to US$ 1 billion, if the IMF was willing to provide budget support.

"We are asking IMF to extend budget support and the money will not go into the Central Bank," he told journalists yesterday. "We have enough reserves but if the IMF is willing to give cheaper funds for development spending, we would welcome it."

CAMERON MONEY DOUBLING SCAM NABBED

A new method of doubling cash notes by a gang of crooks from Cameroon country by soaking the notes in a basin of soap water caught as a bogus business:

Cameroon National crook was caught when he was entangled in a barbed wire fence at Maharagama Temple road.
A gang of Cameroon Nationals who had visited Sri Lanka as reputed businessmen were nabbed when a businessman had telephoned the Police, the day before yesterday. They have a method doubling physical cash by immersing cash notes in a basin containing soap water.
They have lived at a house along Temple Road, Maharagama had pretended to be millionaire businessman from ‘Cameroon’. They are well built and dark in colour. They have tried to develop business contacts with several businessmen in Sri Lanka, particularly the Car Sales Owners. They have made attempts to meet them via appointments and even have had meetings at 5 star hotels to discuss the deals of doubling the money they have invested.
They had told the wealthy businessmen that they could commence joint business ventures if they were willing to invest a minimum of Rs 1 million. They had made these prospective businessmen by trying to impress them by talking very shrewdly. They had developed business relationships by constantly speaking to them over the phone.
For this business venture a Car Sales Dealer had agreed the day before yesterday. The businessman had not known how they make the investment double. The person was requested to visit them at a residence located at Temple Road, Maharagama. He had come with Rs 30 lakhs only and told that it is the amount he could invest as the maximum amount. The amount they had wanted to invest was Rs 1 Million the minimum.
When he visited the Cameroon National, a well built dark person had taken him to the sitting room and had requested him for the money. The cash amounting to Rs 30 lakhs was handed over to him. The Cameroon national immersed the cash into a basin of water containing soap. Then he told the car Sales businessmen to continue the operation for the money to be doubled he needed hot water and requested him to go to the kitchen and bring some hot water. When he was coming with the hot water the Cameroon National was seen pulling out of some currency note from inside his shirt to place inside the basin of water and had churned the water The businessman had come to know something ‘fishy’ was going on and was excited and upset, had told” you are crook. I saw what you did”. The Cameroon National had run away with some cash jumping

We are now on FACEBOOK

WE ARE NOW ON FACEBOOK

Jaffna University to resume on Jan. 16

Academic activities of the Jaffna University will begin on January 16 after a two-month disruption following the arrest and detention of four students by the military, university sources said.

The four students who are detained at a rehabilitation camp in Welikanda had reportedly requested their colleagues to attend lectures stating that the authorities had promised them they would be released soon.

They had conveyed this message to the Deans and Lecturers who had spoken to the students over the phone.

The university Vice Chancellor will meet the Faculty Deans and the Lecturers on January 7 with a view to resuming university activities.

The students have been continuing to boycott lectures after 11 students were arrested in November in the wake of allegedly holding a LTTE commemoration ceremony within the university premises. Seven of the students were released with four of the students still under detention.(Menaka Mookandi and K. Suren)

Lankan Boat people rescued

A group of 46 Sri Lankan asylum-seekers has been rescued after spending Christmas and the new year drifting about 330 nautical miles off Sumatra in a failed bid to enter Australia.

Indonesian search and rescue agency Basarnas was first alerted to the disabled vessel on December 23 by Australian authorities after a tip-off from a recently arrived asylum-seeker.

Minister Yapa ‘threatened’ by phone over ‘our lady’

Chairman of the now defunct PSC Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said he had received an intimidating telephone call about which he made a complaint to the Colombo Crimes Division.

“There was a call to my wife’s phone at around 3pm yesterday and the person who called had asked to speak to me. When I got on the line he threatened me saying ‘if you do anything to our lady, we will take care of you”, the minister told Daily Mirror.

Mr. Yapa said he had lodged a complaint with the Colombo Crimes Division in this regard.

“I have never had a threatening call of this sort during my entire political career. The phone number of the caller and the details of the dialogue were reported to the CCD, and I await the outcome of the investigation” he said.

Rizana likely to be pardoned

The Saudi Arabian Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Jammaz, said that according to information received by him, Rizana Nafeek presently housed in death row in Saudi Arabia would be pardoned and could return to the island, in consideration of a request made to the Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Azeez by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and also having regard to legal considerations.

These views were expressed by the ambassador to SLMC leader and Minister of Justice Rauff Hakeem, when they met today at the latter’s office, Sri Lanka’s Justice Ministry said in a statement.

The ambassador was replying to a question posed by the minister, about whether the request of the Sri Lankan President and the various documents submitted could be made use of to obtain the release of Rizana Nafeek.

The ambassador had also said that he was aware that the President of Sri Lanka and the government had striven hard to obtain a pardon for Rizana, and stressed that, on the instructions of the Saudi King; the governor of Riyadh Salmon had begun discussions with the relatives of the child who had died at the hands of Rizana. The ambassador had promised to intervene personally in this regard.

Govt. considers halving CJ’s term

Nimal says too late to reverse impeachment process

By Shamindra Ferdinando

In the wake of the government vowing to bring the impeachment process, targeting Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, to a successful conclusion in January, the ruling coalition was seriously considering the possibility of having the current 10-year term for the post of Chief Justice halved, political sources told The Island.

Sources said that the issue was being discussed, with some suggesting an amendment to the Constitution, whereas some believe instead of piecemeal measures a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) should formulate a comprehensive set of constitutional proposals.

Responding to a query by The Island, Leader of the House Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva yesterday said that the launch of impeachment proceedings had caused much debate with some sections of society calling for a new law to govern such procedure.

AG notified to appear and assist AC

CJ’s writ application:
January 3, 2013, 10:17 pm 

By Chitra Weerarathne

The Court of Appeal yesterday notified the Attorney General to be present in Court on January 7, 2013, to assist it, during the hearing of the Writ Application filed by the Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake.

The petitioner has sought to have the decision of the Parliamentary Select Committee, against her, quashed by the Court.

An intervention against the petition was refused, since it was not necessary  as the AG would assist court.

President’s counsel Romesh de Silva appeared for the petitioner Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake

Customs Preventive Div. chief in bribery net

By Madura Ranwala

A top Customs officer was trapped in the bribery net yesterday. Sleuths from the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption (CIAOBC) yesterday morning arrested Director and Head of the Customs Preventive Division (CPD), Ranjan Canagasabai, while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of one million rupees from a businessman to clear a container.

The spokesman for the CIAOBC told The Island that the arrest had been made at the suspect’s office in Colombo around 11.30 a.m.

He said that the director had demanded five million rupees from a vehicle spare parts importer of Thibirigaskatuwa in Negombo to clear his container of vehicle spare parts. But, the suspect director had later agreed to accept two million rupees for the favour.

Appeal court rules PSC probe into CJ’s deeds void

Supreme Court says standing orders not law

By Chitra Weerarathne

The Court of Appeal yesterday said the steps that had been so far taken and would be taken by a Parliamentary Select Committee appointed under Standing Order 78A were prime facie void. The Court of Appeal read out the Supreme Court interpretation in respect of Article 107/3, where the apex court had said that Standing Orders were not law and that the PSC appointed under an Act of Parliament were legally sound.

The Supreme Court on January 1, 2013 declared that in a State ruled by a Constitution based on the rule of law, no Court, tribunal or other body, had authority to make a finding or a decision affecting the rights of a person, unless such Court, tribunal or body had the power conferred on it by law to make such finding or decision. Such legal power could be conferred on such a Court, tribunal or body only by an Act of Parliament, which was law and not by Standing Orders, which were not law, but rules made for the regulation of the orderly conduct and the affairs of the Parliament. The Supreme Court had said  that Standing Orders were not law within the meaning of Article 170 of the Constitution, which defined what was meant by law.