Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been named as a respondent in a writ petition filed before the Court of Appeal, challenging the process of procuring passports for the country from two foreign companies.
The petition was submitted by Epic Lanka Private Limited, which is contesting the purchase process and has included Wickremesinghe as a respondent in the case.
The petition was heard today (November 6) by a bench of the Court of Appeal, comprising Justices Mohamed Lafar Tahir and P. Kumaran Ratnam.
During the proceedings, lawyers representing the companies named as respondents argued that their clients had been significantly harmed by the interim injunction that had been issued, which prevents the purchase of five million e-passports. They further emphasized that this injunction would remain in place until the trial concludes and requested its removal.
President’s Counsel Viran Koraya, appearing for the petitioner, presented evidence to the court, asserting that the passport procurement process was carried out through an irregular method. He requested the court to reject the motion to lift the interim injunction and emphasized the importance of expediting the case for a final resolution.
After reviewing the arguments, the bench instructed the petitioner to file any objections to the request for removing the interim injunction and scheduled a hearing on this matter for December 9.
Epic Lanka Private Limited has filed the petition to annul a decision made by the previous government’s Cabinet to purchase 750,000 ordinary foreign passports and five million e-passports.
