SC postpones Lankaputhra CEO’s FR petition hearing to 7 Sept.

By Charumini de Silva

The Supreme Court yesterday postponed deliberations over the fundamental rights petition of former Lankaputhra Development Bank General Manager and Chief Executive Lasantha Amarasekera, who is challenging his removal from his post on 28 June, to 7 September. 

A two-member bench comprising Justices Prasanna Jayawardena and Priyasath Dep presided over the hearing. However, as the State Counsel had reported sick, the case was postponed.

Following his removal from his position at the bank, Amarasekera filed an FR petition in the Supreme Court stating that his fundamental rights had been violated by the Lankaputhra Development Bank management.

The respondents of the petition are the Lankaputhra Development Bank Chairman, the Sri Lanka Monetary Board, the Treasury Secretary, the Public Enterprise Development Ministry Secretary, the Head of the Bank Supervision Department of the Central Bank and two representatives of the Board of Directors of the Treasury.

Amarasekera earlier said that although the letter of termination had stated that he was removed from the post due to his inefficiency, he categorically denied all charges and highlighted that it was mainly due to a difference of opinions between him and the Chairman as well as due to his reluctance to support the Chairman’s alleged professional malpractice. 

In a previous statement justifying the dismissal, Lankaputhra Development Bank Chairman Lasantha Goonewardena said that it was a collective decision made by the Board of Directors of the bank, including the two Treasury representatives, considering the irregularities which had taken place during the General Manager’s tenure.

However, the Chairman was himself dismissed by the Bank Supervision Department of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) for failing to meet the stipulations of the Banking Act but the letter was recalled by the previous Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran.