Claiming that he was saddened by the verbal attack on Ariya Rekawa and his son in Parliament, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said Rekawa was a UNP stalwart since 1970.

He told Parliament that Ariya Rekawa and his son were good people and that he never think that Rekawa's son would be involved in any bad practices even though he was connected to the SLC.

'Who is Rekawa? He has worked with us in the UNP since the 1970s. Ranasinghe Premadasa requested him to contest the election and he was elected to Parliament. Why should we attack him? He is someone who has won the faith of me and Ranasinghe Premadasa. I even appointed him as the Ambassador to Vietnam,' he said.

Referring to a photograph shown by Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe in the House showing that Ariya Rekawa and Bandula Karunaratne were there, the President said it was he who was there in the middle of that photograph.

'It is not a secret. It is I who was there in the middle of that photograph, asked Rekawa to come to President's House when Bandula Karunaratne came to take oath as the President of the Appeal Court,' he said.

The President said criticizing the order given by the Court of Appeal staying the Interim Committee of the SLC was wrong and that Bandula Karunaratne was criticized as he was handling MP Diana Gamage’s case as well. (dailymirror)
(colombotimes.lk)