President’s office defends appointment of Acting AG

The President’s office has defended the appointment of the Acting Attorney General and said there was no established practice in making the appointment.

The Secretary to the President, Saman Ekanayake has responded to the Secretary Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), Chathura A. Galhena who had earlier called that the most senior officer of the Department of the Attorney General be appointed to the AG’s post.

Senior Additional Solicitor General Parinda Ranasinghe has been appointed as the Acting Attorney General. 

In his response to the BASL, the President's Secretary has noted that there is no constitutional requirement to appoint the senior-most officer of the AG's Department to the position of AG based on the principal of seniority. The letter notes that the practice has not been followed historically in Sri Lanka. It points out that Sarath N. Silva was appointed AG while he was a member of the judiciary, while Mohan Peiris was appointed from the private bar on the approval of the Parliamentary Council. 

The letter stresses that the BASL should not advocate the claims of a single person among qualified candidates for the post of Attorney General.