The Special Parliamentary Committee that investigated into the unruly incidents in the Chamber on November 14, 15 and 16 will hand over its report to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya next week, Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri said.
The Committee, chaired by the Deputy Speaker, had finalised the report when it met at the Parliamentary Complex yesterday. Deputy Speaker Kumarasiri speaking to the Daily News said that the report has identified the MPs who directly involved in the unruly incidents in the Chamber.
“We have concluded our part of the inquiry by viewing all the relevant video footage and making a brief note on who the MPs involved. We will submit this report to the Speaker as soon as he returns to the country after attending the Speakers’ Conference in Malta. The Speaker will forward the report to the Attorney General. The AG can proceed with it without waiting for the CID report,” he explained.
The Deputy Speaker pointed out that the Speaker can “short circuit” the entire system, which would otherwise consume a long time, by sending the details to the AG.
“The Police investigation will take a considerable time as the Police want to get statement from all MPs, some of those who were in the gallery and the Parliamentary officers who were in duty in the Chamber that day. They had already got statements from about 130 people. We want to take action against the MPs responsible for the unruly incidents under the Parliament Powers and Privileges Act as it would be a more speedy process,” he added.
The Deputy Speaker said the Valuation Department re-submitted its report yesterday revising the cost of damage to Parliament property after taking the replacement cost into consideration, adding that the new figure was little over Rs 300,000. The new figure settles the discrepancy previously prevailed over the figures of the property damages.
Asked whether MP Arundika Fernando, who apologized in Parliament yesterday for sitting on the Speaker’s Chair on November 16, had been named in the report, the Deputy Speaker replied in the affirmative.
The six-member Committee appointed by Speaker Jayasuriya on November 29 also includes MPs Chamal Rajapaksa, Bimal Rathnayake, Mavai Senadhiraja, Ranjith Maddumabandara and Chandrasiri Gajadheera. However, UPFA MPs Chamal Rajapaksa and Chandrasiri Gajadheera do not attend the committee meetings.
Attacking Police personnel and MPs with water mixed with chilli powder and a wooden chair, sneaking in a knife into the Chamber, pouring water on the Speaker’s Chair, damaging the microphones on the Speaker’s table, hurling copies of the Constitution and other books at MPs, exchanging fisticuffs, hurling abuses at the Chair and conducting mock sittings were some of the indecent incidents unveiled in Parliament on November 14, 15 and 16.
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