Lakshman Kiriella Requests Speaker to Call a Party Leaders Meeting

Leader of the House Minister Lakshman Kiriella yesterday requested the Speaker of House to call a party leaders meeting to discuss phone calls alleged to have been taken between some members of the Committee of Public Enterprise and the owner of Perpetual Treasuries Arjun Aloysius.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday Minister Kiriella said Arjuna Aloysius contacted the members of COPE with the intention of influencing their decisions but to no avail.Minister Kiriella added the COPE signed a unanimous recommendation report pertaining to the Treasury bond investigation claiming all five members agreed that wrongdoers should be brought to book.Minister Kiriella noted the COPE is vested with the responsibility of conducting investigations and reporting to Parliament . He claimed COPE is not a Court.

The Minister said that he was concerned as to how phone calls of COPE members were obtained, and with whose authority in order to be monitored. If the need arose the Criminal Investigations Department and the Department of the Attorney General should have sought the approval of the Speaker of House prior to listening to phone conversations of members of Parliament.The Leader of the House highlighted that this was a clear violation of Parliament privileges.