FRIDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2020 LATEST EDITION VOL: 09/224 PRICE : Rs 30.00 Appeal against Read Ceylon Today Gateway Int’l School judgment thrown out and Win! Plaintiff/Appellant asked to pay Court costs Ceylon Today readers will soon get the chance of spending a holiday at a luxury hotel. School had not violated terms of contract All you have to do is grab the coupon published in Ceylon Today Sunday and Daily editions, starting from A10 6 September, fill it and WhatsApp to us. The winners will win vouchers for a one-night stay on full-board basis at a hotel belonging to one of the leading luxury hotel chains in the country. More information, including the phone number to Environmental disaster feared WhatsApp entries will be published in both Sunday and Daily Ceylon Today Newspapers, starting from 6 20th Amendment September. Reserve your copy early! Oil Spill Looms Gazetted Soliciting bribe 287,000 MT of crude, Navy, Air Force in President can President Parliament dissolve Parliament enjoys immunity diesel on burning vessel gigantic rescue effort one year after GE while in office canteen officer caught red handed Russian warships, Indian CG rush to scene Dual citizenship Minimum age for BY LEON BERENGER AND NABIYA VAFFOOR no bar to Presidential candidate BY KUMUDU UPUL SHANTHA The authorities were, yesterday, bracing for a major marine environmental being an MP reduced to 30 The goods receiving officer at the Parliament canteen disaster, after crude oil began to spew from a burning foreign-owned vessel off was arrested by officials of the Commission to the country’s Eastern Coast. Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption BY FAADHILA THASSIM (CIABOC) while soliciting a bribe of Rs 60,000 from a supplier. The 20th Amendment to the Constitution was gazetted The arrest was made in close proximity to the yesterday (3), vesting in the President the power to Kaduwela bus stand, when the 25-year-old suspect dissolve Parliament upon the expiration of one year was taking the bribe from a fruit supplier. The suspect following the date of the General Election, as opposed to had solicited a bribe of Rs 30,000 per month from a the 19th Amendment where the President could only Colombo-based businessman not to reject his supplies dissolve Parliament after four-and-a-half years following and ensure he would continuously get the order, the date of the General Election. CIABOC Director WSSP Padmini Weerasooriya said. Under the 20th Amendment, the President has immunity while in office as President, as no proceedings Story Continued on PAGE 2 shall be instituted or continued against him in any Court or tribunal in respect of anything done or omitted to be done by him in either his official or private capacity. Further, an individual with dual citizenship cannot be a Nine-member Parliamentarian under the 19th Amendment whereas the 20th Amendment permits an individual with dual citizenship to be an MP. Committee to draft The Speaker and the Leader of the Opposition cannot new Constitution be changed until the reigning Parliament is dissolved... Story Continued on BY DILANTHI JAYAMANNE PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 The Cabinet has approved the appointment of a nine-member Expert Committee to prepare 48 radical groups 500g heroin found Adjournment preliminary drafts for a new Constitution. The Committee is headed by Romesh De Silva PC. working against inside coconuts debate on 8 Sept The Cabinet took this decision after taking into Five arrested consideration the proposal made by Minister of traditional BY J.T. DE SILVA Justice, M.U.M. Ali Sabry PC on 19 August at the Five persons were arrested yesterday (3) Cabinet meeting, to appoint an Expert Committee to Muslims in SL while transporting 500 grams of heroin When Parliament prepare preliminary drafts for the new Constitution. concealed inside several coconuts. convenes next, on 8 The Committee also includes President’s Counsels BY BUDDHIKA SAMARAWEERA The suspects were taken into custody by September, an Gamini Marapana, Manohara de Silva, Sanjeewa officers of the Moragahahena Police at the adjournment debate Jayawardena, and Samantha Rathwatte. Legal There are about 72 extremist Muslim Pinnaduwa Exit of the Southern is set to take place in academics include Professors Nazeema Kamardeen, groups operating around the world Expressway. (NV) the House related to Wasantha Senevirathne, Dr. A. Sarveswaran and working against traditional Muslims, of the 2019 Task Force Prof. G.L. Peiris. which, about 48 are active in Sri Lanka, a Report of the Ministry Sufi Moulavi informed the PCoI probing of Finance as well as into the bombings on 21 April 2019 Easter the mid-year financial Story Continued on PAGE 2 Sunday. report. He was testifying before the PCoI, on 2 Fish to be sold After the House September, and the Media were requested convenes at 1 p.m. on to not reveal his identity for security at subsidised the day, the debate is expected to AG files 2,000 reasons. continue till 6.30 p.m. and the times for He received his higher education in India the debate had been decided during the and Egypt, and is now working as a prices – Bandula Party Leaders’ Meeting held at the indictments in Moulavi, preaching on how traditional Parliament Complex which was chaired Muslims should behave. He said, for more BY W.K. PRASAD MANJU by the Speaker Mahinda Yapa than 30 years, he has delivered religious Abeywardena yesterday (3). sermons in mosques in various parts of Sri Minister of Trade, Dr. A number of 34 Gazette papers are 15 months Lanka. Bandula Gunawardana, due to be tabled in Parliament on 9 BY HANSI NANAYAKKARA When queried by PCoI Members if there said the attention of the September while 19 of those are slated were any other ideological groups in Sri Cost of Living (CoL) Sub- to be debated the following day and they During the past 15 months, the Lanka other than the traditional Muslims, Committee has been pertain to Production Tax. unit in the Attorney General’s the witness said several groups, such as drawn to supply fish at Department, which deals with the Tabligh, the Thowheed, the Jamaat-e- subsidised prices to Story Continued on PAGE 2 cases pertaining to illegal drugs, Islami, the Shabab, and the Salafi were consumers, through had submitted 2,000 indictments bearing extremist ideologies and working economic centres. to various High Courts, under the against traditional Muslims. He said this new Director Ashroff tells supervision of Attorney General A Member of the PCoI then questioned measure would be put Dappula de Livera, in connection him if he had any idea when such groups into effect as part of a Easter Attacks PCoI with big-time drug cases. had spread in Sri Lanka. He responded programme formulated The AG’s Coordinating Officer, these groups had spread in Sri Lanka... by the Cost of Living... State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne Muslim Affairs said that work on 2,480 illegal... Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 Dept highly Story Continued on PAGE 2 politicised Muslim Affairs Dept Committee to report Director tells PCoI BY BUDDHIKA SAMARAWEERA on congestion in prisons The Department of Muslim Religious 951 mosques operated and Cultural Affairs was a highly A Committee has been politicised institution due to certain without registering formed by Minister of Justice, officials' attitude that Muslims are a M.U.M. Ali Sabry PC to resolve minority and that all their demands congestion within prisons due must be met, said Director Adam Bawa BY BUDDHIKA SAMARAWEERA to the increasing number of Mohamed Ashroff. inmates incarcerated over He also said, as a result, most of the As of 21 April 2019, more than 951 mosques had drug-related offences. work that needed to be done by the been identified as operating without being registered The Committee headed by Department had been done without with the Department of Muslim Religious and Additional Secretary (Legal) of following due procedure. Cultural Affairs, said the Department’s Director, the Ministry of Justice, Ashroff has been serving as the Adam Bawa Mohamed Ashroff. Piyumanthi Peiris, consists of Director since January this year and He was testifying before the Presidential officials from the Government testified before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) probing the bombings Analyst’s (GA) Department, the Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) probing on 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, yesterday (3) and Attorney General’s the bombings on 21 April 2019, Easter the PCoI questioned him on a number of matters Department, the Police Sunday, yesterday (3). pertaining to mosques as the registration of... Department,... He further said as the Department... Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 A2 FRIDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2020 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 20th Amendment... Parliament canteen... ... and a new Attorney General, the The suspect who is a resident of Kaduwela has Parliament is summoned. Auditor General and Oil Spill... taken Rs 30,000 previously from the businessman Under the 19th Commanders of the Tri- The Panama-flagged, Greek-owned, vessels for the rescue effort, he said. who lodged the complaint with CIABOC. He had Amendment, while the Forces. New Diamond, with a cargo of 270,000 Another 18 seafarers were brought asked the businessman to come to the Kaduwela Constitutional Council is According to the 20th metric tonnes of crude oil and an ashore by another merchant ship, MV bus stand with the arrears for March and June. replaced with the Amendment, the additional 1,700 tonnes of diesel Helen, that had joined in the rescue Parliamentary Council minimum age limit for a became crippled, after a major fire efforts, Captain de Silva added.