Litigation process tainted with corruption allegations

Colombo, June 29 (Daily Mirror) - Litigation process related to the X- Press Pearl disaster is tainted with allegations about corruption and frauds prompting the Environment Ministry to look at the appointment of a committee to probe what went wrong in the past, according to a minister.

The X-Press Pearl incident in May, 2021 was the worst maritime disaster to strike Sri Lanka, making a significant impact on Sri Lanka’s sensitive coastal environment, local communities and the economy.

In the incident, a cargo ship carrying chemicals caught fire off the coast of Sri Lanka, resulting in the environmental disaster.

After catching fire on May 20, 2021, the Singapore-flagged X-Press Pearl sank several days later.

The previous government initiated legal action in Singapore seeking US $ 6.4 billion as compensation from the shipping company.

The process is now on hold since the defendant party has challenged the claim in another court of law in the United Kingdom.

Environment Minister Dr. Dammika Patabendi told Daily Mirror yesterday that his Ministry had no role other than safeguarding court products.

"Only the Attorney General's Department is involved in the process. We have now decided to appoint a committee to look into allegations about possible corruption in the process initiated in the past," he said.

The Minister said the Committee would recommend steps in the expedition of the process. Sri Lanka, despite being an island with oceanic resources in abundance, lacks experts in the field . It has hampered the country in dealing with matters such as marine pollution, according to the Minister.