• Nearly 63% of disputes linked to financial transactions

More than 70% of the nearly 100,000 disputes referred to Mediation Boards between 01 January and 31 May this year (2023), have been resolved thus far, the Ministry of Justice said yesterday (16).

It is understood that a majority of disputes referred for mediation are related to financial transactions between two parties.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, the Ministry's Media Secretary Sampath Deshapriya said that nearly 300,000 disputes are referred to Mediation Boards in a year. "A total of 99,843 disputes have been referred to such Boards from 01 January to 31 May this year, and 70% of them have been resolved. The majority of the disputes, 63,444, are related to financial transactions."

During the said period, 20,460 have been reported from the Western Province, 12,899 disputes from the North Central Province, 12,700 disputes from the North Western Province, 11,700 disputes from the Central Province, 11,271 disputes from the Southern Province, 9,357 disputes from the Sabaragamuwa Province, 8,394 disputes from the Uva Province, 6,997 disputes from the Eastern Province and 5,985 from the Northern Province. These numbers do not include the disputes that have been referred to Mediation Boards through informal ways.

The mediation process in Sri Lanka provides a voluntary and semi-formal dispute resolution mechanism aimed at enabling speedy and free access to justice. The process involves mediators who facilitate people to negotiate concrete and mutually satisfactory agreements to resolve their disputes. The mediation process also sets a foundation to resolve differences and help disputants to re-establish, redefine or transform their attitudes and relations with one another, and move towards more peaceful reconciliation and relationships, the Ministry of Justice explained.

Mediation Boards have been established under the Mediation Act No. 72 of 1988. There are 329 Community Mediation Boards with 8,400 mediators, and 16 Boards related to land-related issues with 489 mediators in the country. The disputes are referred to Mediation Boards through Courts, Police stations, Divisional Secretariats, parties related to disputes and other means.