Sri Lankan chief justice may face impeachment

Sri Lanka’s chief justice has appeared before a parliamentary select committee considering an impeachment motion against her filed by the government.

Lawyers shouted slogans condemning the motion and cheered for Shirani Bandaranayake as she left the supreme court yesterday and drove to the parliament to face an 11-member committee that is investigating 14 charges against her. The committee is made up of seven government MPs and four from the opposition.

The complaint alleges Mrs Bandaranayake did not disclose how she obtained 19 million rupees (£91,200) to pay for a house purchased under power of attorney for another person.

The motion accuses her of not declaring the contents of 20 bank accounts holding the equivalent of 34 million rupees, and alleges that she misused her position to harass other judges.

She has denied any wrongdoing, and opposition parties say the impeachment attempt is aimed at stifling judicial independence and concentrating power with Sri Lanka’s president, Mahinda Rajapaksa.