Justice Minister Thalatha Atukorale yesterday said she held no suspicion over the death of her brother, the late Gamini Athukorale.
Minister Atukorale was addressing the media following a visit on Ramanna Sector Chief Prelate Most Ven. Napane Pemasiri Maha Thera.
Commenting on a remark made by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Minister Atukorale said Rajapaksa was trying to use her brother’s death to level allegations against Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was then candidate for the 2005 Presidential Election.
"If Rajapaksa was so concerned or had even a slight suspicion over my brother’s death, why couldn’t he investigated it when he was the President for 10 years, Minister Atukorale questioned. “Why wait until I become Justice Minister to make inferences?” she asked.
Minister Atukorale said Rajapaksa and Gamini Atukorale were confidantes from 2000-2001 when Chandrika Bandaranaike was in power.
Speaking on former Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe’s claim that he was removed from his post since he did not intervene in the Attorney General’s Department’s affairs, Minister Athukorale said Yahapalana government in no way would act outside its mandate.
“In Mahinda Rajapaksa’s time, Attorney General’s Department was under his purview, which was unethical. It was the time when the Chief Justice was fired within 48 hours. The same group sent Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka in to prison in 2010 for no reason,” Minister Atukorale said.
"President Maithripala Sirisena allowed the AG’s Department under Justice Ministry to make it an independent entity," she said.
Minister Atukorale said plans are afoot to remedy the shortage of staff in the AG’s Department.