The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law - Minister of Justice and National Integration
The Minister clarified that the President had not sought to restrict attorneys from meeting clients in prison or intimidate lawyers performing professional duties, while noting that lawyers should be mindful of professional boundaries. He apologized only for any personal hurt caused by his remarks about a referenced individual, not for the substance of what he said. On rental payments, he said extensions were due to the lack of alternative premises and that funding for the Adhikarana Piyasa project was intended to consolidate departments and reduce recurring rental costs.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 First, to clarify: the President has never said that an attorney-at-law, in the course of his professional duty, should not speak with his client, even in prison. We, as criminal lawyers, always speak to our clients. The President has not tried to regulate or intimidate any attorney doing his job. But in our profession some do cross limits—“wining and dining” with clients is a personal choice; one should know with whom one does it.
¶ 02 As to the personal reference you made: I appreciate your concern. Do not worry about me; I know where I stand. If I hurt you by the manner I spoke about that gentleman, I apologize for hurting you, but not for what I said.
¶ 03 On rents: these were extensions due to lack of alternative premises. We have funded the Adhikarana Piyasa project to bring departments under one roof and end these recurring costs swiftly.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Saturday, 1 March 2025 ·No. 1741955797040395 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law - Minister of Justice and National Integration. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 1 March 2025. No. 1741955797040395. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/318