MPs phone issue to be referred to Privileges Committee

By Ashwin Hemmathagama 

– Our Lobby Correspondent

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya highlighted the possibility of referring the privilege issue, brought up by Minister of Higher Education and Highways and Leader of the House of Parliament Lakshman Kiriella in Parliament on 20 November regarding telephone records of COPE members, to the Privileges Committee.

Minister Kiriella questioned the action of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Attorney General’s Department last week criticising the method used to obtain information about telephone calls of Members of Parliament without obtaining approval from the Speaker.

The Minister, requesting a party leaders meeting to safeguard the privileges of all lawmakers and to discuss matters in detail, stated that it was illegal to keep telephone records, especially those of the Members of Parliament. 

“Communications between parliamentarians and constituents are privileged and there have been instances where administrative action has been taken to preserve the rights of the constituents communicating with Members of Parliament. The telephone has been recognised as the means through which a constituent can communicate with Members of Parliament,” said the Minister last week.

Referring to the telephone call details submitted to the commission of inquiry, the Minister also stated that such submissions made no difference and the commission was unable to charge any of the lawmakers on the list. 

“This report contained details of telephone calls of all 28 members of COPE. The records show that five members have received calls from Arjun Aloysius. The fact of the matter is that if Arjun Aloysius had contacted these five members hoping to make changes to the COPE report in favour of him, he had failed to obtain any favours from them. COPE made one unanimous recommendation also signed by these five members – all agreed that action must be taken against all wrongdoers. It must also be remembered that the commission’s mandate was to investigate and report. It is not a Court of Law and no one has been found guilty of any offence – least of all there is no finding against any one of these MPs,” said the Minister.