Former Speaker of Parliament, Karu Jayasuriya has vehemently denied media reports claiming he exerted undue influence on the National Police Commission (NPC). A private media outlet today (16) reported a story in its English and Sinhala publications stating that the Chairman NPC K.W.D. Karaliyadda had allegedly informed members of his Commission on 14 May that Jayasuriya, had exerted pressure on him to overturn some of the transfers made by the NPC. The article further claims that Jayasuriya had also pressured Karaliyadda to grant a salary increment to a certain Deputy Inspector General of Police. The Speaker's Media Division issuing a press statement today (16) said the article was false and that it was irresponsible on the part of the newspaper to have made the article a lead story without having cited a credible source. "'Citing informed sources' as the source for an article which is the lead story is ludicrous," the statement said. The statement said the article was published to create a wrong notion in the minds of the public about the Constitutional Council. The Media Unit further noted that the former Speaker will take legal action against the publication of the said article.