President to retain Law and Order portfolio till assassination plot investigation completed 

• Portfolio to be reassigned later 
• UNF opposed to President holding any other portfolio other than Defence and Environment

By Chathuri Dissanayake

President Maithripala Sirisena will retain the Law and Order portfolio until the investigation into the alleged plot to assassinate him is complete, highly-placed United National Party sources told Daily FT.

However, the portfolio is expected to be reassigned as soon as the investigators working on the case complete their work within what is expected to be the next 20 days, the source said.

“The investigators told us that their work is nearing completion and once the work is done the portfolio can be reassigned. It is expected that the ministry will be given to Ranjith Madduma Bandara, who held the portfolio earlier,” the source said.

Madduma Bandara was appointed the Minister of Public Administration and Disaster Management during yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony.

Signalling a continuing battle between the Executive and Legislature, the UNF has indicated their opposition to Sirisena holding any portfolio other than those for Defence and Environment as specified in the Constitution. 

The UNP is currently exploring the legality of the President holding Cabinet portfolios which are not specified in the 19th Amendment. Speaking to the media at a press conference held in Temple Trees yesterday, Vajira Abeywardena said that the legal provisions of the issue were being explored, highlighting that there were articles put in place in the 19th Amendment applicable to only the current President regarding the portfolios he could hold.

Some members of the UNF government maintained that the President could only hold the Defence and Environment portfolios, as per the Constitution.

“We should abide by the Constitution. We have already seen what happens when we go beyond the radius of the Constitution and we shouldn’t risk it. So His Excellency the President can only hold Defence and Environment and it should be limited to those,” one senior UNF member told Daily FT.