• Won’t pursue legal action against Bar Council’s ‘opinion’ 

Former Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) President, President’s Counsel Kaushalya Nawaratne stated that while he will pursue civil defamation action against media institutions that allegedly defamed him, he will however not be taking any action against the BASL’s Bar Council following his resignation from the post of the BASL President on account of a special Bar Council committee report.

“There are several publications that have defamed my name, stating that I have misappropriated funds, and hence, I will take legal action against them,” Nawaratne told The Daily Morning yesterday (19) in response to a query on his future actions following his resignation. “However, I will not be taking any defamation action against the Bar Council as they have only expressed an opinion. They can have their own opinion just like I can have my own opinion on the matter.”

Nawaratne resigned from his position as the BASL President after the Bar Council unanimously called for his resignation in August. In May, the Bar Council had appointed a five member committee to inquire into a contract with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). A report published by the special committee concluded that Nawaratne has displayed a lack of transparency in his dealings with the JICA when selecting resource personnel and with his contractual relationships.

Nawaratne maintained that the allegations against him were politically motivated and that his accusers were funded by several non-governmental organisations. He stated that the accusations made against him were made at a time when an election is near. However, the BASL denied any allegations of political motivations in their decisions and stated that Nawaratne should have discussed the JICA deal with the BASL or with the BASL’s Executive Committee but that he had failed to do so.