The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law
Powers relating to criminal prosecution have long been vested in the Attorney-General’s Department and the Code of Criminal Procedure, so establishing a Director of Public Prosecutions is not a simple structural change. The Member stated that improving the Attorney-General’s Department and creating a DPP are separate matters, and that the Government has appointed a committee, led by Justice Yasantha, while seeking observations from the Bar Association and the Law Commission before proceeding.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, the Hon. Member appears to think this is a simple structural change; it is not. For 150–200 years, powers have been vested in the Attorney-General’s Department and the Code of Criminal Procedure. Enhancing the AG’s efficiency and setting up a DPP are two separate issues. We included this in our manifesto as something we would do, which is why we promptly appointed the committee. Justice Yasantha is presently working on it. We have also sought observations from the Bar Association and the Law Commission. Once received, we will proceed. This is not simple, but it is necessary, and work is ongoing. It takes time to do it properly.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Wednesday, 20 May 2026 ·No. 23618 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 20 May 2026. No. 23618. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/19147