The National Trade Union and Civil Front has called on the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption to open a comprehensive investigation into allegations made in Parliament concerning Chief Justice Priyathbandhu Surasena, Daily Mirror reported on Wednesday.
The allegations are those raised in the House by opposition MPs Rohini Kaviratne, Dayasiri Jayasekara and Ajith P. Perera. They are unproven, and the group’s stated position is that they should be tested rather than assumed — the demand is for an inquiry, not a finding.
Trade union expert and social activist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa made the call on the organisation’s behalf.
What the group wants examined
The Front asked for an impartial inquiry into two specific matters: claims about the accumulation of assets by the Chief Justice and members of his family, and claims concerning delays in recovering compensation for the environmental damage caused by the X-Press Pearl disaster.
It also asked the Commission to investigate alleged container fraud, coal-related fraud and Treasury-related fraud, and urged authorities to revisit allegations previously raised against the Speaker and the current Presidential Secretary. The organisation requested that CIABOC disclose the legal progress of such investigations to the courts without delay.
The X-Press Pearl thread
Social activist Achala Divakara, also speaking at the event, said authorities must take concrete measures to recover the losses caused by the X-Press Pearl disaster. He said allegations of possible delays in the recovery process, including claims directed at senior state officials, should not be dismissed without investigation.
“Whether these allegations are true or false must be established through an impartial investigation,” he said, adding that the government should act immediately to establish the facts and recover any funds owed to the Sri Lankan state.
Context
The call lands while the higher judiciary is already the subject of a live political argument. More than 37 petitions have reached the Supreme Court against the 22nd Amendment Bill, which would raise the retirement age of judges and which former Bar Association president Saliya Peiris has argued should not be enacted at all on judicial-independence grounds. The Bar Association’s own president and secretary have filed a petition seeking a referendum.
Daily Mirror did not report any response from the Chief Justice, the Judicial Service Commission or CIABOC, and did not say whether a formal written complaint has been lodged with the Commission or whether the call was made publicly only. As of Wednesday, no other verified Sri Lankan newsroom had published its own report of the group’s statement.
