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Sri Lanka's opposition stage overnight protest in parliament

Xinhua, April 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

A group of Sri Lankan opposition parliamentarians continued a daylong fast late into Monday night in protest over a decision by the country's Bribery and Corruption Commission to summon former president Mahinda Rajapakse over corruption allegations.

The parliamentarians representing the opposition United People' s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) began the protest when parliament proceedings began during the day and continued the protest demanding the summons be withdrawn.

Parliament Speaker Chamal Rajapakse, a brother of the former president, later on Monday summoned the Director General of the Commission and sought an explanation as to why the former president was asked to appear before the Commission.

However Opposition Parliamentarian Vasudeva Nanayakkara said that the protest will continue till Tuesday morning when the Speaker is expected to make a special statement in regard to the summons issued on the former president.

Over 80 parliamentarians had signed a petition and handed it over to the Speaker against the decision to investigate Rajapakse on allegations of corruption as he was largely responsible for the defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels in the island nation.

They complained that the Bribery and Corruption Commission had overstepped its mandate by summoning the former president and his brother, Gotabaya Rajapakse who was also the Defense Secretary during Rajapakse's decade long tenure in office.

Gotabaya Rajapakse has been summoned to appear before the Commission on Wednesday while Rajapakse has been summoned to appear before the Commission on Friday over allegations that he bribed a former member of the ruling United National Party to join him before the January Presidential Elections by offering him a ministerial post.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe later on Monday assured the protestors that adequate security would be provided to Rajapakse and he had been summoned only to a record a statement.

He then stressed that the government had no influence on the tasks of the anti-graft commission and added that the Commission had acted independently. He further noted that President Maithripala Sirisena had taken necessary measures for the security of the former president and if there were any violations of the former president's rights, his counsels could obtain an injunction from courts. Endi