President yet to be invited to testify before the PSC

President Maithripala Sirisena has not yet been invited by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday attacks to testify before it since the Committee has not yet sent a letter to the President inviting him to appear before the Committee.

Chairman of the PSC, Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri has said he had not sent the letter to the President.

“I have not sent the letter inviting the President yet. I want to meet with the Speaker and discuss the matter before I send the invitation,” the Deputy Speaker has told The Sunday Morning.

However, members of the PSC have expressed different views stating that a decision was reached among the Committee members to call on the President to testify before the Committee and they are under the impression that the relevant letter has been sent to the President.

MP Prof. Ashu Marasinghe has said the Committee had decided to invite the President to appear before it.

“We agreed to invite the President to appear before the Committee this coming week. However, I’m not sure if the Chairman sent the letter of invitation,” Prof. Marasinghe has said.

MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa has said the Deputy Speaker should have sent the letter inviting the President to testify before the PSC by now.

“We came to a unanimous agreement that we would be summoning the President this week to testify before the Committee. The Chairman should have sent it by now. It is wrong if he hasn’t,” the MP has said.

However, the PSC has this week summoned the three members of the Presidential Committee that was appointed to investigate the Easter bombings.

Accordingly, the three members of the Presidential Committee, Supreme Court Justice Vijith Malalgoda, former Inspector General of Police N.K. Illangakoon and former Ministry Secretary Padmasiri Jayamanne, will jointly testify before the PSC on Tuesday (20) at 3 p.m.