During the 2024 budget debate in parliament, TNA parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran addressed the recent Supreme Court ruling that deemed the former President, his brothers, and associates responsible for the country’s economic downturn. Sumanthiran highlighted a concerning incident where a public servant, previously barred by the Supreme Court, was reinstated in a highly dishonourable manner and elevated to a higher position. This, according to him, played a significant role in the economic collapse the country experienced.
His complete speech is appended below.
The supreme court delivered a judgment yesterday most welcome judgment of the Supreme Court, it is a majority judgment, one judge reasons he has stated dissented his judgment it is a 4, 1 judgment holding the president, ministers of finance who held that portfolio, governors of central bank, successive governors treasury secretary advisor to the president one member of the monitory board and the monitory board itself responsible for the collapse of the economy.
I want to recount a series of events in which the advisor to President P.B. Jayasundara was found guilty by the Supreme Court in the case Vasudewa Nanayakkara vs K.N. Choksy. I must disclose my interest in the matter because I was the counsel who appeared for Vasudeva Nanayakkara. He was found guilty and fined Rs 500,000 at that time by the Supreme Court. He paid the fine; he was told that he can not hold public office thereafter. He gave an affidavit to the court stating he would not hold any public office thereafter.
Then there was a change in the office of the Chief Justice. New Chief Justice Asoka de Silva constituted a court to which Dr P.B Jayasundara made a application to withdraw his affidavit. Why then because President Mahinda Rajapakse insisted that P.B.Jayasundara alone must be appointed to the secretary to the treasury. As counsel for honorable Vasudeva Nanayakkara I objected to this, one day a full court 10 judges sat one judge unavailable and then seven judge bench allowed it with one decenter. Honorable Shirani Thilakawardena wrote a decanting order others allowed it. He was appointed to the secretary to the treasury.
The chief Justice at that time who allowed it day after his retirement became the legal advisor to them President. So corruption in high places is demonstrated just by this example. Now the supreme court again finds that President, his two brothers, Dr P.B Jayasundara and others responsible for the collapse of the economy. There is one thing that they have not done which they should have done in the Easter bombing case for failure to prevent the attack former President and several others were asked to pay hundreds of million in compensation. But in yesterday’s judgment those who have been found guilty, found responsible for the economic collapse of this country don’t have to pay any compensation.
Court says the petitioners did not ask for compensation no the court could have granted just an equitable relief. Surely the Rajapakse brothers have enough money to pay the 22million people in this country , surely if compensation had been ordered all the money that is parked outside the country can be brought, minister of Justice himself said that several people have parked the money outside the country it can be brought and the country’s economy can be revived just on that alone.
The country’s economy collapsed because public money was stolen by the president, his brothers and several others who worked with them. They have taken the money out of the country. What the Supreme Court should have done is ordered them to pay compensation to every citizen of this country, and bring that money to the treasury and that would have seen the revival of the economy. This is not the end perhaps due to the nature of the proceeding in the Supreme court that is what court, but I am sure now must start a recovery process for those who have been found responsible by the Supreme Court and every citizen of this country is entitled to make that claim ask them to bring the money back again and make this economy stand back again.
Thank you
