Tag Archives: Mohan Peiris

ICJ urges Sri Lanka to reinstate ex-chief justice

The International Commission of Jurists has condemned a move by Sri Lanka‘s president to appoint one of his trusted aides as the chief justice after he sacked the former top judge.

Mohan Peiris, a retired attorney general and a legal adviser to the Cabinet, was sworn in before President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday, two days after Shirani Bandaranayake was dismissed as chief justice after a parliamentary committee found her guilty of having unexplained wealth and misuse of power.

A statement on group’s website says that Peiris’s appointment “raises serious concerns about the future of the rule of law and accountability” and “adds serious insult to the gross injury already inflicted on Sri Lanka‘s long suffering judiciary.”

It urged the government to reinstate Bandaranayake, saying her impeachment process was flawed.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

Sri Lankan leader replaces chief justice he fired

Sri Lanka’s president has appointed a trusted aide to replace the chief justice he fired, a move that lawyers and opposition politicians say was illegal.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday swore in his new top judge, Mohan Peiris, a retired attorney general and a legal adviser to the Cabinet. On Sunday, Rajapaksa sacked Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake after a parliamentary committee found her guilty of having unexplained wealth and misuse of power.

Bandaranayake has denied the charges and accused the tribunal of not giving her a fair hearing. Courts have ruled in her favor but the president and Parliament ignored the rulings.

Rajapaksa’s critics say replacing the chief justice is part of an effort to consolidate government power in the hands of the president’s family.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News