A no-confidence motion containing 50 allegations has been submitted against Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne.
The motion accused him of deliberately violating the Constitution, the Anti-Corruption Act, the Public Property Act, the Right to Information Act and Parliament’s Standing Orders.
The principal allegations raised in the motion included:
- Obtaining and improperly using an additional official residence at the housing complex on Lauries Lane, Colombo 04, while occupying the official residence at Rajamalwatta, Battaramulla, in violation of the Establishments Code.
- Wasting public funds by assigning eight members of his personal staff to the Rajamalwatta residence and paying them more than Rs. 760,000 a month in salaries and allowances from parliamentary funds, and intervening to secure an official residence for his private secretary.
- The disappearance of inventory records relating to the official residence and improper interference in investigations conducted by the Bribery Commission.
- Misusing parliamentary property by unlawfully operating a “Speaker’s Media Unit” without Cabinet approval.
- Unlawfully using additional parliamentary vehicles and fuel beyond his authorized allocations.
- Violating the Right to Information Act by issuing written instructions to parliamentary officials to withhold information requested by activists.
- Acting in a partisan manner by restricting opposition MPs’ parliamentary speaking privileges and arbitrarily suppressing no-confidence motions concerning the Easter Sunday attacks and motions to establish select committees concerning the handling of COVID-19 victims’ bodies.
