The Bar Association turns its back on Rakitha

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) officially states that it did not make any appearance or representation in court on behalf of Attorney Rakitha Rajapaksa, who was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. The association has issued a special statement pointing out that reports published by some media organizations, claiming that the Bar Association of Sri Lanka made submissions when the case was called last Thursday at the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court, are completely false and misleading.

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka points out that its responsibility and role in such a legal process involving one of its members are very limited. It further states that in such a situation, the association will not make any direct intervention other than carefully observing the relevant court proceedings and reporting necessary information to the association for future institutional steps.

Furthermore, the association states that its executive committee has not granted permission or authorization to any lawyer to represent the Bar Association and present facts to the court during the relevant trial. The statement further clarifies that the Bar Association of Sri Lanka has not made any decision to appear on behalf of the arrested lawyer.