Ex-CJ’s lawyers, anti-impeachment activists get death threats

Friday, 18 January 2013 02:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Romesh De Silva PC, Weliamuna, Jayampathy Wickremaratne PC, and MP Sumanthiran at the receiving end

By Dharisha Bastians

Several President’s Counsels and high profile anti-impeachment activists received threatening letters yesterday, even as the Opposition began to issue dire warnings about a crackdown on members of the legal fraternity who rallied around impeached Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake and fought to prevent her removal.

The Daily FT learns that Bandaranayake’s lead counsel Romesh De Silva PC, senior lawyer and activist J.C. Weliamuna, outspoken Tamil National Alliance MP M.A. Sumanthiran and senior lawyer and member of the citizens’ movement The Friday Forum Jayampathy Wickremaratne PC, all received letters containing dire threats.

Wickremaratne was also a petitioner seeking a Writ of Prohibition against the Parliamentary Select Committee probing the impeachment motion against Bandaranayake that was filed in the Court of Appeal.

Lawyers Weliamuna and Wickremaratne have already complained to the Inspector General of Police regarding the threats received.

The reports came hours after UNP Parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera told journalists in Colombo that a crackdown was being orchestrated against lawyers who stood up against Bandaranayake’s impeachment. Samaraweera said that an underworld criminal recently released from prison had been spotted outside Attorney Weliamuna’s residence during the past few days.