Over 60 MPs in Sri Lanka staged a protest against the summoning of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa by the bribery commission in parliament today.
The MPs, including Mr Rajapaksa's son Namal Rajapaksa, sat on floor and disrupted proceedings, causing the adjournment of parliament until Tuesday.
|
They handed over a petition urging a written assurance from President Maithripala Sirisena that the former president will be safe.
The UPFA MPs objected to the bribery commission's summoning of Mr Rajapaksa to appear before it on April 24, on charges he promised a ministerial post to former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake for his cross over.
"According to the existing Sri Lankan laws, giving or receiving a minister post is not considered as a bribe," the legislators said in the petition.
"If this is a bribe, none of the presidents could exercise their power vested by the constitution."
But the former president will not appear before the commission, according to an aide.
Rohan Weliwita, Mr Rajapaksa's media adviser, told Reuters that he will not attend as the exact nature of the complaint and the person making the allegations have not been disclosed.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
