During the recent Bar Council meeting of the Bar Council of Sri Lanka, chief officers faced severe criticism over financial and procedural abuses related to the distribution of funds for a JICA-aided project.
The actions of the current President of the Bar Association were particularly scrutinized.
President’s Counsel Mr. Saliya Peiris questioned the legitimacy of forwarding the project proposal with only the chairman’s signature and without the secretary’s. He also raised concerns about how the chairman could undertake such a project without the knowledge of the executive committee, council, secretary, and treasurer.
Mr. Peiris also highlighted the lack of transparency in awarding five million rupees each to two young lawyers. He questioned the selection process, noting the presence of equally or more qualified junior members within the association. He emphasized that this situation was shameful.
In response, a committee of five senior lawyers has been appointed to investigate the incident.
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