By Skandha Gunasekara
The lawyers of convicted MPs Premalal Jayasekara, alias “Choka Malli”, and Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, alias “Pillayan”, have written to the Parliament Secretariat regarding their attendance at the inaugural session of the new Parliament.Parliament Secretary General Dhammika Dasanayake said that MP Jayasekara’s lawyers have written to the Parliament Secretariat stating that they had appealed his conviction.
Dasanayake said that only the lack of a court order barred MP Jayasekara from attending the first session of Parliament this coming week.
“He has been gazetted by the Election Commission (EC) as an MP and he can attend Parliament if he is allowed to do so by the court.”
He went on to say that Pillayan had also informed the Secretariat, via his legal team, of his intention to attend Parliament.
“His lawyers too have indicated that they will seek the court’s permission for him to attend the first sitting of Parliament.”
Dasanayake further noted that even if the convicted MPs missed the first sitting of the new Parliament, they could attend sessions thereafter.
The first sitting of the Ninth Parliament of Sri Lanka is to be held on Thursday (20).