By

M.A. Sumanthiran

The press has recently reported that the Bar Standards Board has initiated a formal investigation into the professional conduct of Sir Desmond de Silva QC with respect to his role in Sri Lanka.

I raised the question of Sir Desmond’s professional conduct in Parliament on 17 March 2015 and urged the government itself to forward a complaint to the Bar Standards Board. Though the government failed to take any action in this regard, a complaint was forwarded by a non-governmental organization.

The government simply cannot continue to retain the Advisory Panel chaired by Sir Desmond, particularly given the initiation of an inquiry into Sir Desmond’s acceptance of that very appointment.

Its continued retention of Sir Desmond deals a devastating blow to good governance and the rule of law.

I call on the government to immediately rescind Sir Desmond’s appointment in light of the pending investigation in respect of that very appointment.

(Text of a press release issued by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) media office)