President too, says ‘I don’t know’

President Maithripala Sirisena twice made use of the now much-used ‘I don’t know’ remark at the cabinet meeting yesterday (10), according to reports.

He said he does not know that senior additional solicitor general Dappula de Livera’s wife Marini was chairperson of the National Child Protection Authority.

It was Dappula de Livera who had cross-examined ex-minister Ravi Karunanayake at length at the
presidential commission investigating the Central Bank bond issue.

Marini de Livera, a lawyer, is the daughter of veteran writer Antony Cooray.

The president went onto say that he was told about Marini by minister Chandrani Bandara.

Joining in, Bandara said she had proposed Marini to be the Authority’s chief as she was a talented person.

She was supported by minister Thalatha Athukorale, who said she had worked with Marini since 2006 and that she was a woman with talents.

Resuming, president Sirisena said he does not know Dappula, and that he was appointed to the Attorney General’s Department by the Judicial Services Commission (JSC).

Haren Fernando said more commissions should be appointed, to which, the president expressed his agreement.

The president inquired from Fernando if it was his party that ‘balanced the commissions.’

Rajitha Senaratne criticized the AG’s department over its delays, and Sarath Fonseka too, started berating the department when Wijedasa Rajapakshe interjected that he could not influence the AG, as he was appointed by the JSC.

The president then said it was prime minister Ranil Wickrmesinghe who had proposed the AG’s name to him.

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