Two ASGs appointed as President’s Counsel

Attorney General Dappula De Livera P.C. and Solicitor General Ms. Dilrukshi Dias Wickremasinghe P.C. led the two new Silks Additional Solicitor General Susantha Balapatabendi and Additional Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardena to the Supreme Court with other senior officers, for the ceremonial sitting from AG’s Dept., as per the age-old tradition, followed by Attorneys-General. 

• Sumathi Dharmawardena has made several publications in the field of Telecommunication Regulatory Affairs
• Susantha Balapatabendi served in London as the Trade Development Director (Legal) of the Export Development Board, Ministry of International Trade and Commerce Sri Lanka

Two Additional Solicitors General Susantha Balapatabendi and Sumathi Dharmawardena were appointed President’s Counsel at a ceremonial sitting held on Tuesday, June 25 at the Superior Court Complex in Colombo.  
An alumnus of the National University of Singapore,Sumathi Dharmawardena PC is specialized in  Telecommunication Law, Air Commercial and Sports Arbitration, as well as civil litigation. Sumathi has appeared on behalf of the Telecom Regulator in all matters related to the telecommunication industry of Sri Lanka from 2003 onwards. He has contributed in drafting amendments to the Telecommunications Act of Sri Lanka, numerous other Telecommunication Regulations and ICT Laws including Data Protection and Sports laws in Sri Lanka.  

He advices the Ministry of Sports in drafting sports regulations and serves as a member of the panel appointed to amend the Sports Law of Sri Lanka. In addition, he is involved in drafting a new Sports Manipulation and Match Fixing Law
Over the years, based on his expertise, he has made several publications in the field of Telecommunication Regulatory Affairs and has made further contributions in the local and international fora.  
Mr. Dharmawardena is the supervisor of Telecommunication Law, IT Law, Air Law, Anti-Doping and Sports Law at the Attorney General’s Department.   
He was appointed as an Adjudicator of the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration (KLRCA), Malaysia, in 2014 and thereafter qualified as a Sports Arbitrator of KLRCA.  
He is also a Member of the Appeal Board of the Sri Lanka
Anti-Doping Agency.  

The Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration appointed Sumathi Dharmawardena as a member to the Panel of Arbitrators with effect from February 21, 2019.  
ASG Susantha Balapatabendi PC holds a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from Queen Mary College, University of London and currently his service at the department has spanned a period of close upon 21 years both in the criminal and civil divisions.  
Presently he is supervising all the cases in District Courts of Colombo, Nugegoda, Kaduwela and Mount Lavinia, and is also in charge of all matters relating to injunctions. He is also a Barrister and Solicitor in the Republic of Fiji and has also served as a judge of the High Court (Civil Division) in the Republic of Fiji for a period of two years. He was also a legal consultant to the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka. Mr. Balapatabendi has also served in London as the Trade Development Director (Legal) of the Export Development Board, Ministry of International Trade and Commerce Sri Lanka.   

In his extensive training he has been involved in “WIPO Training an effective enforcement IPR in Asia” – Malaysia, short term training courses on Internet Law and Policy issues - Bangalore, as well as being a member of the study tour on Intellectual Property Law in the United States of America organized by the US state department to name a few.  
Mr. Balapatabendi has also held the post of visiting lecturer in the University of Moratuwa, and in the Masters in Public Management programme of the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration. He has also presented papers on various aspects of law in National and International Conferences and had also been a panelist, which lies testament to his invaluable experience and skill in his respective fields of specialty.   
It is to be noted that his professional involvement includes holding the position as an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators - UK, as well as holding the prestigious position as an Associate Fellow of the Society of Advanced Legal Studies - UK.