Is Gazette on elephant registration approved? : PCoI asks P’ment Gen. Sec.

The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) appointed to probe public sector political victimization yesterday issued a notice to Parliament General Secretary to submit details regarding Gazette no. 622/4 dated 1991.05.14 on Registration and Licensing of Tuskers and Elephants regulation.

This notice was given subsequent to former Magistrate Thilina Gamage’s claim that the gazette was not passed by Parliament.

Earlier, testifying before the Commission, the former Magistrate informed the Commission that the gazette which was used to file the case against him, was not an approved in Parliament. Considering this statement, the Commissioners issued summons to the Parliament General Secretary to provide details as to whether the particular gazette had been registered under Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance.

Thilina Gamage had filed a complaint before the PCoI mentioning that he was politically victimized by continuing a case against him on charges of possessing an elephant without a valid licence.

Currently, the Colombo High Court is hearing a case against Thilina Gamage and six others.

The Attorney General had filed indictments against four accused; former Magistrate Thilina Gamage, Chandrarathna Bandara Yatawara,Wildlife Officers Upali Padmasiri and Priyanka Sanjeewani under 25 counts, including possession of an elephant calf without a valid licence, conspiring to tender false documents and registration of the concerned elephant calf by producing forged documents.

The charges were filed for violating the provisions of Fauna and Flora Ordinance and Public Property Act.(Yoshitha Perera)