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No legal barrier to Rishad attending Parliament: Speaker

17 May 2021

The Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene stated yesterday (16) that All Ceylon Makkal Congress Leader and Opposition MP Rishard Bathiudeen may attend parliamentary sittings next week if he seeks to do so. “There is no legal barrier to this taking place,” the Speaker told The Morning. Sergeant-at-Arms Narendra Fernando also confirmed to The Morning that he had requested the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to facilitate the arrival of MP Rishad Bathiudeen in Parliament next week. However, Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekera on 5 May requested the Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena not to allow Bathiudeen to attend Parliament until the investigations against him in connection with his alleged involvement in the Easter Sunday terror attacks are completed.  Weerasekera told the Parliament that any MP who was detained under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act (PTA) should not be allowed to attend Parliamentary sittings until the investigations against them are completed as otherwise it could become a national safety issue.  Weerasekera claimed that if Bathiudeen makes any statement in Parliament concerning the ongoing investigations using his Parliamentary privileges, it may hinder the investigations and allow others who would have to be arrested in the future based on the investigations, to flee the country or be prepared to evade arrest.  However, the Attorney General (AG) President’s Counsel Dappula De Livera had announced a day prior that there is no legal impediment to facilitate Bathiudeen to attend Parliamentary sessions. The AG said this in response to a request from the Director of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on the relevant matter.     


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