The National Freedom Front (NFF) has condemned recent statements by the government, alleging they undermine public confidence in the judiciary, in a statement issued by party leader and former MP Wimal Weerawansa on Sunday.
Weerawansa said remarks made by government representatives at International Workers’ Day rallies on May 1 had raised “serious doubts and mistrust” regarding the conduct of judges. He claimed President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had publicly referred to upcoming court decisions and even indicated relevant dates while inviting the public to “be prepared to welcome those rulings.”
The NFF leader questioned whether such comments suggested the country’s judicial process had been “fully politicised,” and said the remarks raised concerns about the independence of the bench. He alleged that not only the President but also several ministers had made similar comments at May Day platforms, contributing to growing public suspicion about the conduct of judges.
President Dissanayake told the NPP’s Nuwara Eliya rally on May 1 that ten corruption cases had been set for court in May and that a verdict had been ordered in one, telling the audience the year ahead would see “the corrupt go to prison.”
The NFF’s intervention is the first time an opposition party has directly raised judicial independence concerns about the government’s May Day messaging. It comes as several major accountability cases are simultaneously active, including the Trial-at-Bar against former CBSL governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal over the 2012 Greek bond purchases, the permanent Trial-at-Bar appointed in the Prageeth Ekneligoda case, and former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s CIABOC summons over the Airbus deal.
Source: Ada Derana.
