BASL requests AG to launch investigation into leaked recordings

Colombo (News 1st): The Bar Association of Sri Lanka has requested the Attorney General to conduct an investigation into the recently released telephone conversations between several members of the judiciary and MP Ranjan Ramanayake. The following views were expressed by the secretary of the Bar Association, Attorney-at-Law Koushalya Nawaratne.

"The President of the Bar Association has made a request to the Attorney General, to launch an investigation into this matter immediately. We held a special meeting yesterday. All members of the executive board unanimously decided to meet with the Chief Justice and members of the Judicial Service Commission and to further discuss this issue. Because this revelation points out at a loophole within the legal and judicial system in the country."

Meanwhile, the police media division in a statement rejected all claims levelled against the police, regarding the circulation of the respective phone recordings on social media. The statement further added, the police have not provided any recordings to third parties, and have been sealed with the right thumbprint. The statement further said, those who were in possession of hardware containing such phone recordings for a long period of time, bear complete responsibility in this regard. Several organizations including the 'National Alliance for Lawyers Associations' expressed their views about the voice recordings at a media briefing today (Chairman of the Sri Lanka Lawyers Association, Attorney-at-Law Manoj Gamage noted:

"I think that the Ranjan leaks incident is the biggest revelation that was made after Wikileaks. If someone is trying to stop the voice recordings from being made public there is definitely a recording of his voice in there too. Therefore we stress that these voice recordings should be made public. We ask the Judicial Services Commission to remove these judges from office immediately. We as well as the general public have the question as to why these judges aren't suspended, when in the past judges were suspended, for taking a certain photograph, being in possession of an elephant calf, and for delays in handing down a judgment. Therefore not only Duminda Silva but the cases of all the accused who were affected by this should also be reviewed by an independent panel of judges. Not only Shani Abeyasekera even Judge Padmini Ranawaka can be sentenced to death for sentencing a person to death on false evidence."