Category: Daily Financial Times

Manchester United beat Manchester City 2-0 on Saturday as the new Michael Carrick era got off to a sensational start at Old Trafford.

In a game which was played to the tempo United set, goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu saw United grab a deserved win in the derby.

With every other Premier League game still to kick off, it pulled Manchester United to fourth in the standings. Man City, meanwhile, remain six points behind table toppers Arsenal and now have an anxious wait to see if Arsenal can push that lead to nine points after their match vs. Nottingham Forest.

United scored their opener on the counter – a City freekick cleared by Harry Maguire saw Bruno Fernandes feed Mbeumo on a 4-v-2 counter, and United’s top scorer made no mistake with a lash to the bottom far corner. The second came after a spell of patient possession, and he wriggled past Nico O’Reilly to whip in a cross across the face of the goal, where a lax City defence did not see Dorgu ghost in and smash it in.

After the match, Guardiola said that ‘the better team won’ and that City simply didn’t control the game.

IT is reported that a Trial-at-Bar is being contemplated in respect of allegations against former President Ranil Wickremesinghe regarding misuse of State resources for a visit to a British university on his return from attending sessions of the United Nations in New York and an official visit to Cuba. If this is correct, it would make legal history in our country, because there has been no previous instance of the procedure of a Trial-at- Bar being invoked against a former Head of State.

In view of the constitutional importance of the issues involved, the attempt is opportune to consider the conceptual and statutory foundations of our law relating to Trials-at-Bar, the boundaries of its application in practice, and the nature of the responsibilities attributed to the principal functionaries with regard to the conduct of these proceedings.

I. The statutory framework

A Trial-at-Bar is an extraordinary procedure operating over and above proceedings in regular courts exercising criminal jurisdiction at first instance. Its form is that of three judges of the High Court, sitting usually without a jury, to try an indictable offence. The main provision is contained in Section 12 of the Judicature Act, No. 2 of 1978: ‘Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Act or any other written law, a Trial-at-Bar shall be held by the High Court in accordance with law for offences punishable under the Penal Code and other laws’.

The law of Sri Lanka makes provision for Trials-at-Bar in two different contexts.

(a) Mandatory

The trial of any person for the gravest offences against the State, constituted by Sections 114, 115, and 116 of the Penal Code, must in all circumstances be held before the High Court at Bar by three judges without a jury, despite any other law. This is the effect of Section 450 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Act No. 15 of 1979.

The gist of offences to which this provision is applicable is conspiracy or preparation to overthrow, by unlawful means, the Government of Sri Lanka. This provision was applied in the case of 24 persons alleged to have attempted a coup d’état against the Government of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike, a year after its election in July 1960 (R v. Liyanage).

(b) Discretionary

Outside this category, where recourse to a Trial-at-Bar is compulsory, there are other situations in which, as a matter of discretion, the Chief Justice may order use of this procedure. This course of action may be resorted to ‘in the interest of justice and based on the nature or circumstances of the offence’.

Trials-at-Bar, which may proceed either on indictment or on an information exhibited by the Attorney-General, are required to be held as speedily as possible, and generally in the manner of a High Court trial without a jury.

The power of appointment of High Court judges conducting a Trial-at-Bar is specifically vested in the Chief Justice. The Court, once appointed, has full authority regarding summoning, custody, and bail, subject to the restriction that bail may usually be granted only with the consent of the Attorney-General.

II. Appropriate parameters

A useful point of departure, as a means of determining the proper limits of this judicial procedure, is to examine the character of offences which have led in our country throughout the post-Independence era to the constitution of Trials-at-Bar. A classification of the decided cases during this entire span of more than seven decades is attempted here for this purpose.

(1) Murder

Several Trials-at-Bar in Sri Lanka have been concerned with charges of murder, not per se, but invariably combined with circumstances which impart to the offence the added element of exceptional public importance, in terms of grave jeopardy to established institutions, public tranquillity, or seminal values underpinning governance.

The following are examples:

(a) the murder of a High Court judge engaged in the trial of five persons accused of capital offences pertaining to trafficking in drugs (Sarath Ambepitiya);

(b) the murder of a Member of Parliament in the midst of mob violence on a street, in the throes of widespread protests aimed at bringing down the incumbent Government (Amarakeerthi Athukorala);

(c) the killing of two youth while in police custody (the Angulana case);

(d) the killing of villagers by army personnel during a public demonstration (the Rathupaswala case);

(e) the disappearance of a social activist and human rights defender (Prageeth Ekneligoda).

(2) Offences involving State security and possible contravention of International law charges pertaining to firearms and ammunition and their use on the high seas (the Avant Garde case).

(3) Alleged gross dereliction of duty by senior Government officials, including a former Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and a former Inspector-General of Police, leading to the death of a large number of persons by explosions in public places such as churches and hotels (Easter Sunday Bombing case).

(4) Grave corruption allegations in respect of procurement or other major misdemeanours

two Trials-at-Bar were appointed to hear cases arising from the Central Bank bond scam in 2016, alleged to involve a former Minister of Finance, a former Governor of the Central Bank, his son-in-law and others (Central Bank bond case);

charges against a previous Minister of Health, senior officials of the Ministry, and others in connection with the procurement of substandard immunoglobulin vials, leading to deaths and grievous bodily harm (Keheliya Rambukwella);

charges filed by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division against the Chief of Staff of a former President and a former Chairman of the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation for alleged large-scale misappropriation of public funds (Gamini Senerath, Priyadasa Kudabalage).

(5) Sedition involving communal overtones and potential disturbance of the public peace (S.J.V. Chelvanayakam and others).

(6) Allegations relating to extra-judicial executions

the trial of a previous Army Commander for statements made by him regarding unlawful execution of surrendering LTTE cadres (Sarath Fonseka White Flag case).

(7) Criminal defamation in volatile contexts

In 1954, in the earliest of this series of cases, allegedly defamatory remarks were published by the defendant in a newspaper known as Trine. The gist of the allegations was that Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, who had just relinquished the position of Minister of Finance to accept appointment as Governor-General, had engaged in ‘swindles on an international scale’ (R v. Thejawathie Gunawardena).

The heinous character of the offences alleged, and the scope of their potential ramifications in all these settings, are evident at a glance. The distinguishing feature is not merely the gravity of the offence, but imputation of a wider dimension to it, typically in the form of a serious affront to the public wellbeing.

In the Thejawathie Gunawardena case, for instance, where the propriety of recourse to a Trial-at-Bar was vigorously challenged, the Supreme Court held that there was no ground for complaint because of the predominant element of public mischief apparent from the circumstances. This was due to the inflammatory content of the statements published, which could foreseeably ‘disturb or endanger the Government» by igniting public feeling. Gravity of the allegations, from this point of view, and their probable impact on public confidence in the integrity of basic institutions of governance, were the factors relied upon to take the case out of the regular category of defamation litigation and justify use of the Trial-at-Bar procedure.

This characteristic of a high threshold of public importance, accompanied by complexity and volatility of the surrounding circumstances, is the central thread which runs through the diverse situations in which Trials-at-Bar have been constituted in Sri Lanka.

III. The roles of pivotal functionaries

The principal responsibility is that of the Chief Justice and the Attorney-General. The essential nexus between their statutory functions is a salient feature of the law.

(i) The Chief Justice

In Somaratna Rajapaksa v. Attorney-General, it was clearly recognised that the repository of power to constitute a Trial-at-Bar is the Chief Justice, but subject to the requirement that an indictment or information ‘furnished by the Attorney-General’ operates as the material basis for exercise of the Chief Justice’s authority in this regard.

An explicit trajectory is established, linking the initiative by the Attorney-General with the Chief Justice’s decision.

(ii) The Attorney-General

Action by the Attorney-General is located within the overall ambit of prosecutorial discretion vested in him in respect of a wide range of matters, including assessment of the sufficiency and probative value of evidence to warrant institution of criminal proceedings, the decision to indict, and withdrawal of a prosecution by means of the entering of a nolle prosequi. The recommendation in respect of a Trial-at-Bar falls into place within the field of this broad authority.

The crucial attribute of the Attorney-General›s functions in this area is that he acts in a quasi-judicial capacity. A basic anomaly in the role of the Attorney-General in our constitutional system is that he combines, in his office, a variety of functions and responsibilities which entail some degree of conflict with one another. Despite this lack of institutional coherence and consistency, what is beyond doubt in the present condition of the law is that, throughout the whole gamut of prosecutorial decision making, the Attorney-General is required to eschew all political and other extraneous considerations and to arrive at his decisions in a spirit of total objectivity.

This is one of the cornerstones of our system of criminal justice. Although there is a statutory choice or discretion built into the Attorney-General›s responsibility, H.N.G. Fernando C.J. has aptly commented: «Our law has conferred on the Attorney-General powers which have been commonly described as quasi-judicial and traditionally formed an integral part of the system of criminal procedure» (Attorney-General v. Don Sirisena). In similar vein, the Supreme Court, in Victor Ivan v. Sarath N. Silva, Attorney-General, observed: ‘The Attorney-General’s power is a discretionary power similar to other powers vested in public functionaries, held in trust for the public, and not absolute or unfettered’.

While the purview of prosecutorial discretion residing in the Attorney-General, by virtue of enacted law as well as inveterate tradition, is strikingly extensive, it is not an untrammeled power: it is not beyond the reach of the courts. In a trilogy of progressive decisions by the Court of Appeal, Sobitha Rajakaruna J., (prior to his elevation to the Supreme Court), asserted the principle that the Attorney-General’s decisions, in appropriate circumstances, are amenable to judicial review: Sandresh Ravi Karunanayake v. Attorney -General (CA/Writ/ 441/2021) ,Duminda Lanka Liyanage v. Attorney-General (CA/Writ/323/2022), Nadun Chinthaka Wickremaratne v. Attorney-General (CA/Writ/523/2024).

In Attorney-General v. Karunanayake, Samayawardhana J (with the concurrence of Thurairaja and Janak de Silva JJ.) declared: ‘Politically motivated indictments following regime change pose a serious threat to the rule of law and public confidence in the office of the Attorney-General and the entire justice system. Judicial oversight plays a vital role in ensuring that prosecutorial discretion is exercised independently, fairly, and in compliance with the law’.

The Supreme Court of our country has shown no inhibition in directly addressing the question whether the Attorney-General has properly exercised his discretion in laying the information which served as the basis of a Trial-at-Bar.

In Thejawathie Gunawardena’s case, in proceedings before the Supreme Court, it was strenuously contended on the defendant’s behalf that the Attorney-General had acted ultra vires for a collateral or improper purpose. The submission was that the person allegedly defamed was no longer holding public office, and invocation of the extraordinary procedure associated with a Trial-at-Bar was, therefore, unjustifiable. The Supreme Court, sitting in appeal, having considered the issue in depth, rejected the submission on the ground that his tenure had been very recent, and that the proximity of his connection with the incumbent Government gave rise to the likelihood of intensifying public feeling because of the volatility and range of the allegations made against him.

These trends of judicial opinion have the effect that the principle of justiciability of the Attorney-General›s initiative in this regard is firmly embedded in our law.

IV. Conclusion

Trials-at-Bar serve a salutary purpose, but within stringently circumscribed limits. The decided cases in our country, spanning more than 75 years, indicate with exemplary clarity the confines within which this extraordinary procedure has legitimacy. The essential consideration is that there should not be room for the slightest doubt that immaterial factors may have come into play in the exercise of discretion.

This far transcends the entitlement of individuals to due process and impinges upon the health and vitality of procedures central to the administration of justice. My teacher, Professor Sir William Wade, pre-eminent among exponents of administrative law in our time, who had the distinction of holding Chairs of Law successively in the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, told me that if he were asked to identify succinctly, in one sentence, the substance of the common law tradition, he would have no hesitation in replying that it consisted of robust hostility to unbridled discretion in public functionaries. Even the appearance of neglect of this rudimentary principle, places in jeopardy the fulfilment of public aspirations about the quality of criminal justice.

I have been thinking about critical infrastructures because this is a key element of the Cybersecurity legislation that has been in preparation since 2019 and which may finally see the light of day this year. If a critical infrastructure fails for whatever reason, massive harm is caused to the economy and society. That is the ultimate test of criticality.

The first thing we think of is malicious hacker attacks in the context of cybersecurity, but failure is failure whatever the cause: cyber-attack or flood/landslide.

The most critical infrastructure

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency identified 18 critical infrastructures: Chemical, Commercial Facilities, Communications, Critical Manufacturing, Dams, Defence Industrial Base, Emergency Services, Energy, Financial Services, Food and Agriculture, Government Facilities, Healthcare and Public Health, Information Technology, Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste, Transportation Systems, and Water and Wastewater Systems.

Many of these are not relevant in our vastly different conditions. But what I took from a related discussion is the statement that all seventeen critical infrastructures would fail, or be significantly affected, if the energy infrastructure were to fail.

The recent Ditwah disaster gave us a sense of our vulnerabilities (subject to correction).

At least two major hospitals were seriously damaged as were schools and court houses.

Transportation was hit badly: roads, railroads and some vehicles. Airports, ports and expressways were not affected.

Too many people were unable to use telecom services during and after Ditwah. According to a recent news report, ‘at the peak of the crisis, over 2,000 telecom sites were impacted, leaving several districts without mobile and data services for two to five days. Network outages were primarily caused by prolonged grid power failures, fibre cut due to floods and landslides, site flooding in low-lying areas, and restricted access that delayed restoration efforts.’

Details are lacking on the banking system, but in certain areas people could not withdraw money from ATMs. Credit and debit card transactions and QR payments were also affected. If electricity supply to the port and airport had failed, they would have been crippled, as was shown in the shutdown of Heathrow Airport due to a substation fire in March 2025. The critical infrastructures in Colombo and its suburbs (except Kolonnawa) were mostly spared from the effects of Ditwah.

Electricity failures directly contributed to telecom and banking failures. According to data compiled from public sources:

Around 4 million of the 7 million electricity customers were affected by Ditwah. 40% of CEB’s infrastructure was damaged

As of 5 December, 85% of the affected consumers were reconnected.

The distribution network suffered the most damage with 17,143 transformers out of 39,537 becoming inactive.

The Rantambe-Mahiyangana transmission line suffered severe damage.

2,994 high voltage breakdowns and 32,341 low voltage breakdowns were reported.

It is not easy to make the electricity network resilient, especially from flood damage. Water and electricity do not mix.

Yet the CEB successor companies can surely do better than the CEB did in 2025. The first thing is an independent assessment of system performance that can identify what can be done to minimise the damage next time.

Given climate change, there will be a next time. The Colombo-centric economic engine may not get off so lightly the next time.

Principles for resilient infrastructure

If the CEB successor companies are wholly or partially privately owned, the best practice would be to require that they be insured against these kinds of losses. Having the government routinely absorb the additional costs (directly with Treasury funds or by allowing them to be passed on through tariffs) will reward suboptimal design and operation of networks and thereby creates a moral hazard. The companies/managers will continue to spend resources on themselves and not for risk reduction.

In the insurance scenario, unsafe behaviour will drive up insurance premia which may be disallowed by the regulator. Costs and damages not covered by insurance will have to be borne by the shareholders, not by the customers.

This may be effective after the changes envisioned under the Final Transfer Plan (FTP) specified in the 2025 Electricity Act Amendment. The successor entities created by the FTP will have varying degrees of private ownership. Even now there are many private generating plants.

A national policy would have to set out general principles on how the different elements of the system are to deal with disaster risk. This should address the problems posed by fully state-owned assets where the managers are immune to the pressures that work for private investors.

The tariff policy should specify whether disaster-recovery costs can be covered by tariffs, as some are suggesting in the aftermath of Ditwah. Simply dumping these costs on customers without setting in place any incentives for making the system more resilient, sets the stage for future bailouts.

Police SC produced a dominant and disciplined performance to register a stunning 30/10 victory over Army SC in their Inter-Club Rugby League encounter played at Police Park on Saturday.

Showing greater intent and cohesion from the outset, the hosts set the tone early and carried a deserved 17-10 lead at the short breather.

Tries from Heshan Kalhara and Fijian Kaliova Mocetadra gave the home side early momentum, while Sameera Jayasinghe’s effort further underlined Police’s attacking threat.

Sujan Kodithuwakku was the standout performer of the match, crossing the line twice to seal an emphatic win and cap off a fine all-round team effort. Pasindu Tharuka added the extras with a well-taken conversion, while Prince Chamara kept the scoreboard ticking with a crucial penalty.

Army SC struggled to match Police’s intensity but managed to respond through tries by Prasanna Jayathunga and Tharun Warnuasiri. Despite brief spells of pressure, Army found it difficult to break down a resolute Police defence that tackled aggressively and controlled territory effectively.

The Referee was Nalin Lasantha. (SJ)

Left-hander Anjala Bandara scored his maiden double century and the second in the current Major Club 3-Day League to put CCC on a firm footing on the second day of their match against Group A table leaders Police SC at the NCC Grounds yesterday.

The former Mahanama College cricketer hit 11 fours and 2 sixes in his unbeaten knock of 200 scored off 338 balls for CCC to declare at 482-6. Bandara added 226 for the fifth wicket with his Captain Sonal Dinusha (121 off 182 balls, 12 fours). Anjala Bandara’s innings was witnessed by Police SC skipper Ashen Bandara, whose score of 200 he equalled.

Police SC were struggling at 106-6, trailing by 376 runs going into the third and final day today.

Off-spinner Nishan Peiris caused the Police SC slide, capturing 3/36 which included the wicket of top-scorer Dhanuja Induwara for 49.

In a crucial match taking place at the CCC Grounds, Colts gained a handy first innings lead against Panadura SC.

In reply to Colts’ first innings of 336, Panadura SC were bundled out for 148 by versatile spinner Akila Dananjaya (7/39 off 20 overs), giving Colts a lead of 188, which they stretched to 322 by the close scoring 134 without loss, with Ravindu Rasantha scoring 70* off 129 balls (6 fours) and Sangeeth Cooray 64* off 123 balls (9 fours). Sri Lanka Test opener Oshada Fernando, leading Panadura SC, made a top score of 42.

Similarly, Tamil Union had their game against Ace Capital CC at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium in control. An unbeaten century from Sharujan Shanmuganathan (103* off 196 balls, 9 fours, 2 sixes), his third of the season, saw Tamil Union make 312 in reply to Ace Capital CC’s 206, and gain a first innings lead of 106.

Spinners Roshan Jayatissa (4/103) and Wanuja Sahan (4/119) were the most successful bowlers for Ace Capital CC, who finished the day on 98-3, trailing by eight runs with seven second innings wickets in hand.

Chilaw Marians CC ended the second day of their match against Bloomfield at the Galle Cricket Stadium needing 40 runs with five wickets in hand to gain a first innings lead.

Replying to Bloomfield’s score of 312, Chilaw Marians CC made 272-5, their innings largely based on the second wicket partnership of 125 between Thanuka Dabare (87 off 122 balls, 9 fours, 1 six) and Tharindu Amarasinghe (88 off 145 balls, 6 fours, 3 sixes).

NCC and BRC were involved in a struggle to gain a first innings lead at Surrey Village Grounds, Maggona.

BRC, resuming at 360-7, were all out for 396, with Raminda Wijesooriya scoring 70 off 75 balls (6 fours, 2 sixes) and left-arm spinner Shakthi Udara taking 4/129. Openers Niroshan Dickwella (65 off 61 balls, 9 fours) and Lahiru Udara (65 off 88 balls, 10 fours) mounted NCC’s reply with a stand of 122. Ahan Wickramasinghe contributed 63 off 86 balls (6 fours, 1 six) for NCC to end the day at 333-7. They trail by 63 runs with three wickets in hand. Off-spinner Murvin Abinash had career-best figures of 6/103.

Group B leaders Moors SC had a fight on their hands to gain the vital first innings lead in their match against bottom-of-the-table Badureliya SC at Colts Grounds.

Badureliya SC hit up an impressive 486, with skipper Geeth Kumara and Suminda Lakshan figuring in a seventh wicket stand of 119. Kumara struck 20 fours and 5 sixes in his 316-ball knock of 185, and Lakshan 6 fours and 2 sixes in scoring 66 off 109 balls. Malinda Pushpakumara chipped in with a useful 41* off 76 balls (4 fours, 2 sixes) to see Badureliya SC pass the 450-run mark. Left-arm spinner Chanuka Dilshan took 5/81.

Moors SC began well, scoring 127-1, but the loss of three cheap wickets for 32 runs in the final hour saw them finish on 159-4 to trail by a massive 327 runs with six wickets intact.

All the matches will continue on their third and final day today.

I have been thinking about critical infrastructures because this is a key element of the Cybersecurity legislation that has been in preparation since 2019 and which may finally see the light of day this year. If a critical infrastructure fails for whatever reason, massive harm is caused to the economy and society. That is the ultimate test of criticality.

The first thing we think of is malicious hacker attacks in the context of cybersecurity, but failure is failure whatever the cause: cyber-attack or flood/landslide.

The most critical infrastructure

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency identified 18 critical infrastructures: Chemical, Commercial Facilities, Communications, Critical Manufacturing, Dams, Defence Industrial Base, Emergency Services, Energy, Financial Services, Food and Agriculture, Government Facilities, Healthcare and Public Health, Information Technology, Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste, Transportation Systems, and Water and Wastewater Systems.

Many of these are not relevant in our vastly different conditions. But what I took from a related discussion is the statement that all seventeen critical infrastructures would fail, or be significantly affected, if the energy infrastructure were to fail.

The recent Ditwah disaster gave us a sense of our vulnerabilities (subject to correction).

At least two major hospitals were seriously damaged as were schools and court houses.

Transportation was hit badly: roads, railroads and some vehicles. Airports, ports and expressways were not affected.

Too many people were unable to use telecom services during and after Ditwah. According to a recent news report, ‘at the peak of the crisis, over 2,000 telecom sites were impacted, leaving several districts without mobile and data services for two to five days. Network outages were primarily caused by prolonged grid power failures, fibre cut due to floods and landslides, site flooding in low-lying areas, and restricted access that delayed restoration efforts.’

Details are lacking on the banking system, but in certain areas people could not withdraw money from ATMs. Credit and debit card transactions and QR payments were also affected. If electricity supply to the port and airport had failed, they would have been crippled, as was shown in the shutdown of Heathrow Airport due to a substation fire in March 2025. The critical infrastructures in Colombo and its suburbs (except Kolonnawa) were mostly spared from the effects of Ditwah.

Electricity failures directly contributed to telecom and banking failures. According to data compiled from public sources:

Around 4 million of the 7 million electricity customers were affected by Ditwah. 40% of CEB’s infrastructure was damaged

As of 5 December, 85% of the affected consumers were reconnected.

The distribution network suffered the most damage with 17,143 transformers out of 39,537 becoming inactive.

The Rantambe-Mahiyangana transmission line suffered severe damage.

2,994 high voltage breakdowns and 32,341 low voltage breakdowns were reported.

It is not easy to make the electricity network resilient, especially from flood damage. Water and electricity do not mix.

Yet the CEB successor companies can surely do better than the CEB did in 2025. The first thing is an independent assessment of system performance that can identify what can be done to minimise the damage next time.

Given climate change, there will be a next time. The Colombo-centric economic engine may not get off so lightly the next time.

Principles for resilient infrastructure

If the CEB successor companies are wholly or partially privately owned, the best practice would be to require that they be insured against these kinds of losses. Having the government routinely absorb the additional costs (directly with Treasury funds or by allowing them to be passed on through tariffs) will reward suboptimal design and operation of networks and thereby creates a moral hazard. The companies/managers will continue to spend resources on themselves and not for risk reduction.

In the insurance scenario, unsafe behaviour will drive up insurance premia which may be disallowed by the regulator. Costs and damages not covered by insurance will have to be borne by the shareholders, not by the customers.

This may be effective after the changes envisioned under the Final Transfer Plan (FTP) specified in the 2025 Electricity Act Amendment. The successor entities created by the FTP will have varying degrees of private ownership. Even now there are many private generating plants.

A national policy would have to set out general principles on how the different elements of the system are to deal with disaster risk. This should address the problems posed by fully state-owned assets where the managers are immune to the pressures that work for private investors.

The tariff policy should specify whether disaster-recovery costs can be covered by tariffs, as some are suggesting in the aftermath of Ditwah. Simply dumping these costs on customers without setting in place any incentives for making the system more resilient, sets the stage for future bailouts.

Alliance Finance Company PLC has appointed Devika Ellepola to its Board as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director.

Ellepola holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Colombo (2004), providing a solid grounding in regulation, policy interpretation, and ethical decision making that complements her commercial expertise. She is a seasoned commercial leader with more than twenty five years of experience in the aviation industry.

From 1998 to February 2025, she served as Head of Passenger Sales – Emirates Airline (Sri Lanka), where she led market expansion and brand building initiatives that strengthened the carrier’s position in Sri Lanka. Her leadership was characterised by rigorous data-driven decision making and the practical application of analytics on pricing and yield management. She championed the digital transformation of sales and customer programs.

A committed mentor and people developer, she has built high performing teams, coached emerging leaders, and raised organisational capability through structured performance management and targeted learning interventions. Her contributions to business leadership have been recognised with multiple accolades, including WIM Top 50 (2021) and the CEO Global Businesswomen Award (2025).

Beyond her executive roles, she contributes to the advancement of the profession through active participation in CILT, WCIC, and WILAT, supporting advocacy, knowledge sharing, and inclusion in logistics and commerce. Ellepola currently serves as an aviation business mentor/consultant and as an Independent Wealth Planner at AIA Insurance, broadening her perspective on customer strategy, governance, and risk across adjacent sectors.

Ambassador-designate of Sri Lanka to Oman W.A.K.S. De Alwis has arrived in Oman and assumed duties at the Sri Lanka Embassy in Muscat.

The Ambassador-designate was warmly received on arrival at the Muscat Airport by Oman Ambassador Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Saif Al Hosni, Oman Foreign Ministry Director General for Asia Pacific and Director – South Asia Abdul Rahman, and Sri Lanka Embassy Charge d’ Affaires Maxwell Keegel. On arrival at the Embassy, De Alwis was welcomed by the staff and following religious observances, he assumed duties and addressed the officers of the Mission.

De Alwis was Director (Finance) at the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA) prior to his appointment. He has previously served at the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Muscat from 2017- 2020 with the diplomatic rank of Minister. He is a graduate of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in Accountancy and holds a Master’s Degree from the KDI School of Public Policy and Management, Republic of Korea.

CR and FC produced a commanding all-round performance to outclass Air Force SC 38/5 in their Inter-Club Rugby League encounter under lights at Longdon Place on Saturday.

At the short breather, the Reds led 19/5.

CR’s dominance was reflected in a six-try blitz, with Chemod Muthunayake opening the scoring before Fijian Saufa Billivanua crossed twice in a powerful display out wide. Omalka Gunaratne, Vishenka Silva, and Naveen Marasinghe added further tries as CR repeatedly breached the Air Force defensive line with structured phase play and sharp backline movements. Fly-half Mursheed Doray was in assured form, slotting over four conversions to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Air Force could respond only through a solitary try by Shamika Kaushan, but struggled to contain CR’s relentless attacking pressure and disciplined defence. The result confirms Air Force’s place in the Plate segment for Round Two, while CR and FC remain firmly in the Cup race, with CH also expected to feature among the top contenders.

For the Reds, this emphatic victory keeps them on top of the points table for yet another week and strengthens their bid to regain the League crown. With momentum building, depth across the squad, and a balanced mix of power and pace, the Reds are shaping up as genuine title favourites as the competition heads into its decisive phase. (SJ)

The manufacturing and services sectors have expanded sharply in December 2025 despite the impact of the Ditwah devastation as per the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) compiled by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL).

It said the PMI – Manufacturing recorded an index value of 60.9 in December 2025, indicating a continued expansion in manufacturing activities. All sub-indices contributed positively to this increase, mainly supported by seasonal demand, despite adverse weather-related disruptions experienced at the beginning of the month.

The New Orders and Production sub-indices increased in December 2025, driven by the Manufacture of Food and Beverages sector. Further, the Employment and Stock of Purchases sub-indices also increased, in line with the strengthening of New Orders and Production observed during the month. The Suppliers’ Delivery Time further extended in December 2025, mainly reflecting increased demand for input materials and adverse weather-related logistical delays.

Expectations for manufacturing activities over the next three months remain positive, supported by anticipated improvements in economic conditions.

The PMI – Services recorded an index value of 67.9 in December 2025, indicating a notable expansion in services activities compared to the previous month.

The significant growth of business activities in December 2025, despite the adverse weather-related disruptions experienced at the beginning of the month, was buoyed by robust performance across most of the sectors.

The Wholesale and Retail Trade was the primary driver of this expansion amid festive season demand. The upward trend was also supported by positive contributions from business activities related to the Other Personal and Accommodation, Food and Beverage service activities.

New Businesses increased in December 2025, underpinned by improved activity in Wholesale and Retail Trade, along with strengthened Financial Services activities.

Employment continued to rise in December 2025, reflecting workforce expansion by firms to meet year-end operational requirements. Meanwhile, Backlogs of Work grew for the second straight month.

The Expectations for Business Activity over the next quarter turned more optimistic, supported by a combination of favourable macroeconomic conditions and seasonal tourism related factors, and the gradual normalisation of operations following recent weather-related disruptions.