High Posts Committee commended, but Foreign Ministry’s delays raise serious concern

Delay undermines due process and risks eroding confidence in state institutions

Following Parliament’s High Posts Committee’s demonstration  and its commitment to accountability by halting the nomination of  H.M.V.B. Vijitha Bandara Herath to a diplomatic posting, citing grave  allegations ranging from falsification of official records to the  unlawful use of a government-issued passport.   

The Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Harini  Amarasuriya, has already requested a comprehensive investigation report  from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasising the seriousness of the  charges. Yet, it is deeply troubling that the Ministry has still failed  to submit this report despite the fact that many allegations have  already been substantiated with documentary evidence and official  records.   

This delay not only undermines due process but also risks  eroding public trust in the state’s ability to enforce the law. The  public rightly expects that this case will not be brushed aside with  mere administrative censure but will instead lead to criminal  prosecution against Vijitha Bandara Herath.  

The allegations are serious and well-documented:   

• Unlawful possession and use of an official passport while  engaged in private business, a prosecutable offence under the  Immigration and Emigration Act.   
• Falsification of official records, including  impersonating an Honorary Consul, and the concealment of British  citizenship obtained under refugee status.   
• Misleading Parliament under oath, a gross breach of trust and a punishable offence.   

Officials from the Department of Immigration have already  confirmed that these actions extend far beyond misconduct and fall  squarely within the realm of criminal fraud and document forgery.   

The High Posts Committee has done its duty by exposing  these irregularities. It is now the responsibility of the Foreign  Ministry to act without delay or else it will doubt on its integrity, but  also fuel the perception that the Ministry is deliberately shielding  Vijitha Bandara Herath from accountability.   

Failure to do so will also send a dangerous signal of  tolerance for corruption — at a time when the government is striving to  prove its seriousness in combating it.