Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Mujibur Rahman strongly criticized in Parliament today (24) the failure to implement the law against Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe.
Rahman pointed out that in the case heard at the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court against the minister, both the magistrate who initially ordered his arrest and her successor were transferred. The case is now being heard before a third magistrate.
He highlighted that despite two separate arrest orders being issued, the minister has not been taken into custody. “The police are now seeking the Attorney General’s advice to arrest a person who was twice ordered to be arrested and produced before the court by the Magistrate’s Court. No such advice was sought when Ranil Wickremesinghe was ordered to be arrested,” Rahman said, questioning whether the rule of law applies only to the opposition.
According to court records (Mount Lavinia Magistrate B, Case No. 29984, Case No. 10), the matter concerns a two-story building on 32 perches of land at Urban Council Lane, Dehiwala, belonging to the National Workers’ Congress, which has been forcibly encroached.
On September 6, 2024, the Mount Lavinia Magistrate ordered the immediate arrest of the suspects. They were not arrested. Again, on November 22, 2024, the Magistrate ordered the police to immediately arrest and produce them. Still, no arrests were made.
“Why is this happening? Because he is a minister in this government,” Rahman charged.
He further said:
“The President talks every day about the rule of law. But when the magistrate who issued the order is transferred, and the next magistrate is also transferred, what kind of rule of law is this? This is the so-called transparency that was promised to the public. Today, instead of carrying out the court order, the police are asking the Attorney General whether to arrest the minister. If a magistrate has given the order, then he should be arrested. There is no need to ask the Attorney General. When Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested, the Attorney General was not consulted. So, is the law only for the opposition, while government ministers enjoy protection?”
Rahman concluded that the government has bent the law to shield its ministers, despite claiming to uphold the rule of law.
