Parliament to Vote on IGP Tennakoon’s Future

COLOMBO (News 1st); Parliament is set to convene this morning at 9:30 a.m. under the leadership of the Speaker to debate a motion calling for the removal of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon from office.

The motion, backed by 115 Members of Parliament, was submitted to the Speaker on March 25 under the provisions of the Removal of Public Officers (Procedure) Act No. 5 of 2002. A vote on the motion is scheduled for this afternoon (5).

The motion follows the findings of a special committee appointed to investigate allegations of serious misconduct against Tennakoon. 

Current Chief Justice P. Padman Surasena, was appointed as Chair of the committee by the former Chief Justice, and it included, retired judge Neil Iddawela, and National Police Commission Chairman Lalith Ekanayake.

After a thorough inquiry, the committee unanimously concluded that Tennakoon was culpable of the charges raised in the motion.

These include 27 allegations ranging from abuse of power and corruption to dereliction of duty and political bias.

Following the committee’s final report, the Speaker moved to table the motion in Parliament. 

According to the law, if a majority of all Members of Parliament—including those absent—vote in favor, the President is constitutionally required to remove the individual from office without delay.

Parliament is also scheduled to meet tomorrow and the day after. Notably, the second reading of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill is expected to take place on August 6.