By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera   

Speaker’s media unit today denied claims made by SJB MP Rohini Kavirathne that Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardhane was presiding the House when SJB MP Thalatha Athukorala was subject to verbal sexual harassment during a debate in parliament.   

It said in a statement that the Speaker was not presiding over the House when that particular incident happened and that he was not anyway involved in the said incident.   

The statement said that the Speaker regretted the making of such false statements disgracing the House and the Speaker and misleading the public without verifying the facts by checking the Hansard and video records.   
The MP yesterday claimed that the Speaker was presiding over the House and did nothing when MP Athukorala was subject to verbal sexual harassment in Parliament.