Continuing saga of the audio clips

With his interdiction on January 7, on the orders of acting Police Chief C.D. Wickramaratne; former CID Director SSP Shani Abeysekera became the first casualty in the sordid audio-clip saga. He was followed soon after with the interdiction of Baddegama Magistrate Dhammika Hemapala by the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) and on Tuesday, with the approval of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the JSC interdicted Embilipitiya Judge Gihan Pilapitiya. The three State officials had to leave office over allegations of having had telephone conversations with United National Party (UNP) MP Ranjan Ramanayake, currently in remand custody, with regard to ongoing cases -- either those being investigated or pending in Courts.   

The Chief Justice is reported to have received complaints with reference to High Court Judge Gihan Pilapitiya, Magistrate Dhammika Hemapala and retired High Court Judge Padmini N. Ranawaka with the JSC calling for explanations from the two currently serving judges, whose names had transpired in connection with the questionable phone conversations.   

There may be many more State officials, who might suffer a similar fate before this entire episode is finally brought to a close after the usual twists and turns that accompany such unwarranted controversies that crop up at the most unexpected times to mortify and embarrass political parties.   

Meanwhile, the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) has recorded statements from Embilipitiya High Court Judge Gihan Pilapitiya, Baddegama Magistrate Dhammika Hemapala and former High Court Judge Padmini N. Ranawaka with regard to the telephone conversations they were purported to have had with Mr. Ramanayake.   

In another disclosure, High Court Judge Gihan Pilapitiya is reported to have submitted a written complaint on January 9 to the Acting Police Chief C.D. Wickramaratne saying Mr Ramanayaka had manipulated him with regard to several sensitive and controversial cases during his tenure as Colombo’s Chief Magistrate. Meanwhile, last week Nugegoda Magistrate U.K. Palpola directed the Attorney General to report to Court whether the audio clips taken into police custody from the Madiwela residence of Mr. Ramanayake had been released to the media while being held as court productions.   

According to media reports, the revelation made by UNP MP Harin Fernando that Mr. Ramanayake had in his possession several audio clips of current government members having conversations with Mr. Ramanayake has left them concerned and jittery. The public will have to wait and see if such audio clips do exist and if so whether they contain incriminatory material.   

Against this background, High Court Judges Association (HCJA) and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) have urged that this matter be investigated and resolved as a matter of urgency because of the fact that any attempt to bypass or postpone such an inquiry would without doubt result in further erosion of public confidence in Sri Lanka’s judicial system.   

Be that as it may, the front page lead story in yesterday’s Daily Mirror was that of MP Ranjan Ramanayake’s presence at Tuesday’s parliamentary sessions where he tabled the audio clips containing the conversations he has had with, “politicians, prostitutes, artistes and even with some heads of State”. He said among the telephone conversations were those with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Perpetual Treasuries Ltd., Chief Arjun Aloysius, MP Knchana Wijesekera and several others.   

It is sad that high-ranking State officials had for reasons best known to them had compromised their professionalism and integrity by falling prey to this kind of surreptitious manipulations by a politician, who is better known for his prowess in the field of cinema while the MP should have been aware of the mess and muddle these high-ranking State officials would be entangled in by his highly unwarranted actions, which would not go away from centre-stage by apologizing to those embroiled in this dispicable saga.   

To conclude on a positive note, we digress somewhat from our main topic to laud Prince Harry and Meghan, who have consciously relinquished their right to use their royal titles – his/her Royal Highness and forego public funds for royal duties. Buckingham Palace has announced that the couple will also no longer formally represent the Queen and that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex intend to repay the £2.4m of taxpayer money for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, which will remain their UK family home.   

We highlight these royal examples of relinquishing the greed for perks, power and prestige, which are so difficult for our Sri Lankan politicians to do. Once ensconced in positions of authority; to let go and to give up never comes easy for most of them while some even attempt to justify their claims to retain such perks even long after their tenure in office has ended.