TISL goes to SC over X-Press Pearl Disaster

Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court yesterday (June 12), seeking to intervene in the ongoing Fundamental Rights case (SC/FR/Application

No.168/2021) filed by the Center for Environmental Justice (CEJ) and three more petitioners,

highlighting the serious allegations of bribery and corruption surrounding the X-Press Pearl

disaster.

The intervention petition is filed in the public interest. It refers to serious allegations of

irregularity, mishandling, sabotage, bribery and corruption surrounding the claim for

compensation arising from the X-Press Pearl disaster.

Several key points have been raised in the intervention petition:

They are:

The grave allegations of interference and extraneous pressure surrounding the claim for

compensation arising from the X-Press Pearl disaster.

The statement by the Justice Minister in Parliament on April 25, 2023, that one Chamara

Gunasekara alias Manjusiri Nissanka had received a payment of USD 250 million into a

private bank account in connection with the X-Press Pearl disaster.

The media statements of Chinthaka Waragoda, who reportedly invented a machine to

remove debris which washed ashore after the shipwreck, alleging that he was offered

payment to discontinue the use of his machine, to avoid exposing the full extent of the

damage caused by the disaster.

Questions surrounding the quantum of compensation due to Sri Lanka for the damages

caused by MV X-Press Pearl.

The freight ship ‘MV X-Press Pearl’ caught fire off the coast of Colombo on 20th May, 2021. It

sank a few days later, releasing its cargo of plastic pellets and tons of toxic chemicals into the

ocean, causing Sri Lanka’s worst maritime disaster to date. It is alleged that Sri Lankan

authorities obtained the assistance of the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation

Limited (ITOPF), a representative of the insurer of the Shipowner, in the post-disaster activities,

despite the grave conflict of interest arising from it.

TISL has urged that the private parties involved in the X-Press Pearl incident be held

accountable, and be made to pay optimal compensation for the damage and pollution caused

to the marine and coastal ecology of Sri Lanka, and the payment of compensation for the loss

caused to the fishing communities and those engaged in tourism, as well as obtaining

compensation under the Marine Pollution Prevention Act.

TISL has also highlighted the need to hold anyone guilty of wrongdoing fully accountable.

The petition for intervention is to be mentioned for Support in the Supreme Court on Thursday

(June 15).