PCoI probing political victimisation: Recommendations will not be implemented until Special Presidential Commission report is out

• Presidential Secretary informs Court of Appeal
• President appointed a special commission on January 29 comprising two Supreme Court Judges and a Court of Appeal Judge to review the recommendations made by the PCoI probing Political Victimization

By Yoshitha Perera  

The Secretary to the President yesterday informed the Court of Appeal that the government has decided not to implement recommendations of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) probing Political Victimization until it receives recommendations of the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry. 

This was revealed in Court when the writ petitions filed by JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake and SJB MP Sarath Fonseka were taken up. They were seeking an order for the annulment of the recommendations made against them by the PCoI probing Political Victimization. When the petitions were taken up before the three-Judge Bench headed by Court of Appeal Judge Arjuna Obeysekera, Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Milinda Goonetilaka who appeared for the Attorney General (AG) and Sanjeewa Jayawardena PC who appeared for the Secretary to the Cabinet informed this decision to the Court. 

Milinda Goonetilaka informed the Court that he had been verbally instructed by the President’s Secretary that the President had appointed a special commission on January 29 comprising two Supreme Court Judges and a Court of Appeal Judge to review the recommendations made by the PCoI probing Political Victimization.   Accordingly, the bench postponed further hearing for May 12.