The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Privilege: Financial assets declared by some Members of Parliament in Declaration of Assets and Liabilities

¶ 02 Hon. Deputy Speaker, under the Parliamentary (Powers and Privileges) Act, No. 21 of 1953 and the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament adopted on 7 March 2018, Part VI, Clauses 14–21 on “Record of Members’ Financial Interests and disclosure” and “Publication,” there is an issue of breach of privilege under Section 1 of Schedule “A” to the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities law.

¶ 03 As per the said Code of Conduct, the Declarations of Assets and Liabilities of all current Members have been published on the website of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. It is stated therein that the Minister of Trade and Commerce, Wasantha Samarasinghe, holds 3,000 units of cryptocurrency, and that the Hon. Speaker (Dr.) Jagath Wickramaratne holds USDT 1,850 in a Binance account.

¶ 04 According to an Order issued under the Foreign Exchange Act, No. 12 of 2017, the use of debit and credit cards for cryptocurrency transactions is prohibited. The Central Bank points out that cryptocurrencies do not contribute to the national economy and can cause a loss of foreign exchange by adversely affecting the financial system. This Order is issued by the Governor of the Central Bank under the said Act, and specifies such matters as offences under money laundering frameworks. Therefore, Members must explain to this House whether such funds were obtained via credit/debit cards, hawala or hundi channels, etc.

¶ 05 Under Part VI of the Code of Conduct, Members must submit a record of their financial interests in a form and manner determined by the Secretary‑General and the Committee on Ethics and Privileges. Also, under the Right to Information Act, No. 12 of 2016, publication of certain information in that record applies.

¶ 06 Further, under Clause 22, these provisions also apply to the spouse and family members of the Member.

¶ 07 Hon. Deputy Speaker, under the 2018 Code, procedures are yet to be fully established. With the publication of all MPs’ declarations on the CIABOC website, there is widespread public concern. The honour of all Members must be protected; the public expectation formed against misuse of State resources and unjust enrichment must not be shattered. No one in Government has the right to break that public trust. As the current Government has consistently declared that Members serve voluntarily, do not misuse public funds, and do not unjustly accumulate wealth, this is the moment to prove that honesty.

¶ 08 Therefore, if these individuals have acted in breach of the Code of Conduct and the Parliamentary (Powers and Privileges) Act, an immediate inquiry should be conducted and reported to this august House, and, if offences have been committed, action should be taken under the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption and the Department of Police under due legal process, and such persons be produced before court.

¶ 09 Accordingly, how the Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe obtained 3,000 units of cryptocurrency, and how the Hon. Speaker (Dr.) Jagath Wickramaratne holds USDT 1,850 in a Binance account, should be disclosed to this Parliament, and I respectfully request that, under the aforesaid Code, they clarify matters to this House.

¶ 10 Thank you.