By Skandha Gunasekara The Government has cited the impunity afforded to US personnel in the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact as the main reason for the decision not to go ahead with the agreement. When contacted, Government Spokesperson State Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told The Sunday Morning that clauses exempting US officials from domestic laws were an infringement on Sri Lanka’s sovereignty. “The US MCC Compact gives US officers in Sri Lanka impunity from being penalised under Sri Lankan laws if they are found guilty of criminal or illegal activities. This alone is enough of a reason for the Government to refuse to enter into this agreement,” he said. Under Article 6 – References to Laws, Regulations, Policies, and Guidelines, the MCC compact agreement stipulates that: “The Government agrees that MCC and United States Government or any other current or former officer or employee of MCC or the United States Government shall be immune from the jurisdiction of all courts and tribunals of Sri Lanka for any claim or loss arising out of activities or omissions under this compact.” The Official Spokesperson of the US Embassy in Sri Lanka Nancy Van Horn told The Sunday Morning that the Embassy understands that the Government was reviewing the MCC agreement thoroughly and would await the decision of the Government. “This is a $ 480 million programme that will benefit 11 million Sri Lankans by helping to alleviate traffic and ensure Sri Lankans can obtain title documents for the land they already legally own. We await the decision of the Government of Sri Lanka on how they would like to proceed,” she said.