Sir Desmond Lorenz de Silva QC needs hardly an introduction in the legal fraternity. He has earned reputation as a prominent British lawyer, and former United Nations Chief War Crimes Prosecutor in Sierra Leone. Sir Desmond of Sri Lankan and Anglo-Scottish origins was knighted by the Tony Blair government and made a privy councillor by David Cameron when he headed the inquiry into alleged links between the security services and assassinations in Ulster during the Troubles. Sir Desmond also headed the Advisory Panel of International Lawyers advising the Sri Lankan Government on the Geneva UNHRC matter.
Sir Desmond’s autobiography titled as ‘Madam Where Are Your Mangoes’ was launched at the Vijitha Yapa bookshop at the Crescat Boulevard recently. The book is available at any Vijitha Yapa Bookshop.
He was born in Ceylon during World War II, and went on to become a distinguished and high-profile jury advocate. The memoir stands alone as an authoritative account which provides access to extraordinary cases, covering over half a century of practice in the courts of England, the Commonwealth. It is also a revealing portrait of Britain’s post-war social, political and cultural landscape and a testament to the unparalleled importance of the rule of law in society. De Silva’s own reminiscences are complemented by a series of stories relating to his most colourful cases by the Evening Standard’s veteran court correspondent Paul Cheston. The book was released officially in London on September 20.
The book’s title refers to a misunderstanding by one of the QC’s colleagues when the hotel they thought they were staying in during a trial in Sierra Leone turned out to be a brothel.
Published by Quartet Books, the autobiography describes how he teased the Pope in the Vatican and innocently asked Lord Archer in an Old Bailey lift whether the author, on trial for perjury, was “going down”.
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