Meeting between the Speaker and AG

Colombo (News 1st): Attorney General Dappula de Livera met with Speaker Karu Jayasuriya last night (Jan 28). The duo met at Speaker's official residence. The Constitutional Council headed by the Speaker recently decided to summon the Attorney General over the arrest of High Court judge Gihan Pilapitiya. This was after the Council had discussed that such a move could damage the trust placed by the people on the judiciary. The Parliament's Department of Communication, in a media release, said that the AG had agreed to order the arrest of such individuals in a manner in which it does not tarnish the image of their respective institutions. During the discussion, AG De Livera had apprised the Speaker of the decisions he had taken in the recent past. Meanwhile, the Presidential Commission of Inquiry probing incidents of political persecution had informed the AG to suspend legal action being taken against former Navy Commander Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda and Rear Admiral K.P. Dissanayake over a case pending before the Special High Court. The AG, in response, had stated that the Commission did not have the authority to instruct him on such matters. Meanwhile, UNP MP Attorney-at-Law Ajith P. Perera noted that if the Attorney General is being ordered by various commissions or political authorities, that is going against the law, the tradition and the constitution of this country. He added that only a higher court can order to halt or suspend a particular action of the Attorney General. He stressed that any other institution does not have the authority to do so and such action should not be permitted as well. He said that something like this has never taken place in the history of the country and if such actions are permitted, this would be considered as interfering with judicial proceedings. Attorney-at-Law Lal Wijenayake also commenting on the matter noted that this is a serious matter. He added that there are higher officials to instruct the judiciary and if there is any case, relief must be obtained by presenting facts to the court. He said if one is not satisfied with the court's verdict, they can submit their appeal at the supreme court or court of appeal. He pointed out that when a case is considered in court, only a higher court can take any action.