The members of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) have unanimously demanded that their President, Kaushalya Navaratne, immediately resign from his position. This demand comes after a five-member committee investigated and found that Navaratne failed to act transparently in the use of funds from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), leading to controversy.
The committee’s report stated that Navaratne, as President of the BASL, did not handle the contract between the Bar Association and JICA with transparency, breaching the trust placed in him. As a result, the Bar Council has ordered him not to exercise his powers and functions as the President of the association.
In related developments, President’s Counsel Nalinda Indatissa, who served as the Vice President of the BASL, has also resigned from his position. President’s Counsel Anura Maddegoda has been elected as his successor.
