Int’l legal experts will only adivse: Kiriella

The role that will be played by international legal experts in a probe carried out under whatever resolution passed at the UNHRC sessions will be confined to advising Sri Lanka with regard to certain matters, House Leader Lankshman Kiriella told Parliament yesterday.

He said this when responding to a question asked by the opposition. “The advice sought from the international experts will be confined to technical assistance. No foreign expert will be allowed to hear the case,” the minister said.

MP Dayasiri Jayasekera asked why Sri Lanka is teaming up with international experts after claiming that Sri Lanka has an independent judicial system. “It is you who boast saying the legal system in this country is independent but you try to get international judges involved in the probe under the UNHRC resolution,” he said.

UPFA MP Shehan Semasinghe asked why government wants to hold on to UNHRC even in a situation where USA which co-sponsored the resolution together with Sri Lanka had withdrawn from the UNHRC.

The minister said Sri Lanka had prepared a new resolution which is more favourable than what was in the past years.

“We were pushed towards involving international experts in a probe on the war because of the mistakes made by the previous government such as moving towards impeaching former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranaike and arresting former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka,” he said. (Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)