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US says impeachment may impact foreign investments
15 Jan, 2013
The US State Department says the removal of Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake could impact on Sri Lanka?s ability to attract foreign investment.
Speaking to reporters at the daily State Department press briefing yesterday (Monday) State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said there are serious questions about the health and future of Sri Lanka?s democracy following the removal of the Chief Justice.
Nuland said that Sri Lanka will now really need to roll up its sleeves and work on strengthening democracy.
?Well, we are deeply concerned about the impeachment of Sri Lankan Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake. The impeachment proceedings against her were conducted, as you know, in defiance of the Supreme Court order. And from our perspective, this impeachment raises serious questions about the separation of powers in Sri Lanka, which is a fundamental tenet of a healthy democracy. Throughout these proceedings, we?ve repeatedly conveyed to the Government of Sri Lanka our concern that there was a lack of due process, and we?ve also made very clear our view that actions undermining an independent judiciary would impact on Sri Lanka?s ability to attract foreign investment,? she said.
She also noted that similar concerns were raised by the United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union, and the United Nations about the impeachment process. (Colombo Gazette)
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