By Skandha Gunasekara The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) investigating allegations of political victimisation yesterday (23) declared that the Attorney General (AG)’s office couldn’t send counsel to represent a respondent. PCoI Chairman former Supreme Court Judge Upali Abeyratne said that he would not allow a second team from the AG’s Department to make submissions on behalf of a respondent. “There is already a team from the AG’s office present to assist the Commission with our proceedings. The AG’s office can only assist with the proceedings particularly on the subject of clarifications once evidence is submitted. So, a second team of AG office counsels cannot represent one of the respondents,” he said. The Commission made these assertions when a senior official of the AG’s Department attempted to make submissions pertaining to one respondent – Senior State Counsel Janaka Bandara Tennakoon. “Additional Solicitor General Rohantha Abeysuriya is heading the team sent by the AG’s office to assist this Commission. If the AG doesn’t have confidence in him, then he can send another team to assist the Commission, but he cannot send officials to represent a respondent; that is both unethical and beyond the constants of the law,” PCoi Chair Justice Abeyratne said.