Constitution will not be harmed in any way: Sabry

Ali Sabry assuming duties as the new Minister of Justice

• Outlines multiple challenges in judicial processes, proposes major overhaul  
• Highlights integrity and corruption issues which plague law enforcement and forensic agencies
• Wants to change long duration of court cases, delayed justice in child abuse cases

By Asiri Fernando

The Ministry of Justice will not allow any harm to come to the Constitution or the public that benefits from it, new Justice Minister Ali Sabry said yesterday.

A large group of well-wishers were present at the small office complex as Sabry assumed duties yesterday.

“I would like to assure you all that we will not allow any harm to befall the Constitution and the public,” Sabry stressed, thanking the President for the faith placed in him.   “Make no mistake we are up against several challenges; the challenges are big. Some of the challenges you do not see often on protest placards are significant. As you know, a child gets abused every two hours, when drugs are apprehended some of them go missing, they can end up back in circulation. 

“During the recent past we have seen that Police officers responsible for countering narcotics are dealing in them. When we throw drug traffickers in jail, they run the operation better from jail. Recently we heard that an officer at the Government Analyst Department was caught in possession of drugs,” Sabry said, indicating a need to introduce integrity checks and vetting of personnel tasked with law enforcement.   

Speaking to the press briefly, Sabry stated that he had 25 years of experience in the Judiciary and he was up to the challenge. “For 25 years I have seen the pain and suffering people go through when they deal with the Judiciary. For example, a case on child custody can take almost 10 years, same goes for land related cases. After 10 years the child has grown up, moved on or had their life ruined while the prolonged hearings happened,” he said. 

He also pointed out that the recent reports indicated that the Court Registrar's offices have been highlighted as some of the most corrupt institutions in the country. The Justice Minister said that the last 70 years were wasted with the country divided on ethnic and religious lines. He stressed that time to move forward as united Sri Lankans was at hand and that as the Minister of Justice, he aims to create the right climate with for that to happen. 

The Minister said he planned to take two to three weeks to analyse the full functions of the Justice Ministry and will, in consultation with stakeholders, draft a plan for overhauling the judicial system.

Pic by Shehan Gunasekera