Constitutional Council approves Acting IGP appointment
October 8, 2024 04:39 pm
The Constitutional Council has approved the appointment of Senior DIG Priyantha Weerasooriya as the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP).
The Constitutional Council convened a meeting at the parliamentary complex today (08) under the chairmanship of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to take a final decision on approving the appointment of the Acting IGP.
Under existing regulations, any individual serving as Acting IGP for more than 14 days must receive the formal approval of the Constitutional Council.
Weerasooriya was appointed as Acting IGP by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on September 27, under the constitutional powers vested in the President.
He had received his letter of appointment from the President’s Secretary Dr. Nandika Kumanayake at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on the same day.
Prior to this appointment, Weerasooriya served as the Senior SIG in charge of the North Central Province, a position he held since March 2024.
A law enforcement professional with 36 years of unblemished service, Weerasooriya had served across various ranks, from Police Constable to Senior DIG, with key roles in operational, middle, and strategic management.
Notably, SDIG Priyantha Weerasooriya is the first officer in the 158-year history of the police service to rise from the rank of Police Constable to Inspector General of Police (IGP).
A Law graduate from the University of Colombo, he became an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) after being sworn in as a lawyer at the Sri Lanka Law College.
He also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resource Management.
Remarkably, 10 IGP commendation letters have been issued in recognition of SDIG Weerasooriya’s thirty-six years of outstanding service in the Police Department.
Having served as the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) overseeing Crime and Traffic, as well as the Director of Police Logistics, SDIG Weerasooriya has participated in United Nations peacekeeping missions in East Timor and Haiti.
At the time of his appointment as Acting IGP, he was serving as the SDIG in charge of the North Central Province.
