Kaushalya Nawaratna resigns as BASL President

Kaushalya Nawaratna PC has resigned from his position as President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) with immediate effect. His resignation follows a series of allegations and investigations into the handling of funds related to a project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and was to be implemented by the BASL. 

The controversy began in May when a group of legal professionals, including ten Presidents’ Counsel and over 80 Attorneys-at-Law, demanded a thorough investigation into the JICA project. The group accused Nawaratna and four other BASL members of misappropriating funds allocated for an anti-corruption initiative. The project was reportedly funded by JICA to the tune of Rs. 21 million, with allegations suggesting that at least Rs. 19 million was misappropriated by the accused.

On 18 May, the BASL Bar Council appointed a five-member committee to investigate the matter. The committee, chaired by Faisz Musthapha PC and comprising Dr. Kanag Isvaran PC, Rienzie Arsekuleratne PC, Ikram Mohamed PC, and Geoffrey Alagaratnam PC, found a lack of transparency in the management of the JICA funds. The inquiry highlighted issues with the contractual process and the selection of resource persons and researchers for payment, a process almost entirely overseen by Nawaratna.

The committee ultimately determined that Nawaratna had failed to act with transparency regarding the contract between BASL and JICA, violating the trust placed in him as President. Following these findings, the BASL Bar Council, on 31 August, unanimously called for his resignation.

Kaushalya Nawaratna had secured another term as BASL President in January this year, being re-elected uncontested for the period of 2024-2025.