Ranil's arteries were repaired in Singapore because doctors in Sri Lanka face political retaliation - GL Peiris

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe's primary reason for traveling abroad for his surgery was his unwillingness to see a repeat of the harassment previously inflicted upon the renowned specialist doctors in the country who treated him, by summoning them before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), stated former Minister Professor G. L.

Peiris. He made this statement while participating in a press conference held on the 21st at the political office located on Flower Road, Colombo.

He pointed out that while Sri Lanka possesses highly skilled doctors and advanced hospital facilities, and even patients from other Asian countries come here for treatment, there has been some public discussion regarding the former President's visit to Singapore. Explaining the reason, the Professor stated that previously, when Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe was receiving treatment in the intensive care unit, seven top-tier specialist doctors who issued medical certificates regarding his health condition were summoned to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and made suspects. He further emphasized that Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe made this decision with the aim of preventing a recurrence of such difficulties and professional obstacles faced by those doctors, who had merely fulfilled their professional responsibilities without engaging in any political activities.

Stating that he would not issue statements regarding the judiciary due to his full respect for it, Mr. G. L. Peiris reminded that the Attorney General must act as a completely independent officer in the enforcement of the law. He stated that filing a criminal case is by no means a trivial matter, and since the sole authority to decide whether there is sufficient evidence for it rests only with the Attorney General, there should be no political or other influence whatsoever. He also pointed out that even the slightest doubt among the public that such influences are occurring would be severely detrimental to the entire judicial system.

Mr. Peiris emphasized that while there is a special procedure for trying serious crimes before a three-judge panel consisting of three High Court judges, the absolute discretion to decide on this rests solely with the Chief Justice. He stated that in a situation where the Chief Justice has not yet made any decision to hear Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe's case in that manner, statements issued by other parties regarding it constitute an insult to the Chief Justice as well as a blatant violation of the law.

Additionally, the Professor revealed that a request has been made under the Right to Information Act regarding the amount of public funds spent on the police team sent to Great Britain to investigate Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe's foreign travels, but no response has been received yet. This press conference, which emphasized that institutions upholding the law, protected for a long time, should not be diluted, was also attended by President's Counsel Upul Jayasuriya, S. T. Jayanaga, and Senior Lecturer at the Open University of Sri Lanka, Nadeesh de Silva.