• I don’t have a chamber as the Minister of Justice, but some of my junior lawyers are appearing for Tilini Priyamali at the moment

By Yohan Perera  and Ajith Siriwardana

Stating that his parliamentary privileges have been violated by media reports which has said the lawyers from his chamber appearing for Thilini Priyamali who has been at the centre of controversy, Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe yesterday requested a probe by the Privilege Committee. 

“I as the Chairman of the Privilege Committee would stay away from it temporary to enable a probe. Appoint someone else as the Chairman and carry out a probe on the matter,” he told the Speaker.

“I don’t have a chamber as the Minister of Justice, but some of my junior lawyers are appearing for Tilini Priyamali at the moment. There are journalists who are prepared to publish anything if they are given bottles of arrack,” he said. “This is not an issue on my parliamentary privileges alone. Media tends to blame all 225 MPs for the wrongdoings of few MPs. “An honest MP cannot send his or her child to school as others raise various questions,“ he said.

“Criticizing the MPs is good but one must not do it with vested interests and malice,” he also said.
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP  S. M. Marikkar said steps should be taken to stop slinging mud at MPs by the media.