The working committee of the United National Party has made a collective decision to take steps to release Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa from his ministerial portfolio. 

Party General Secretary Kabir Hashim stated that this decision was arrived at following the Minister of Justice not complying with the demands made by the working committee in light of him criticizing government policies. 
 
Speaking to the media at a press conference on August 17, several senior UNP parliamentarians stated that an accusation had been made against Minister of Justice and Buddasasana Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa stating that he was not in accordance with his Ministerial portfolio as Minister of Justice. These statements were made following Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa openly criticizing government policies.
 
The panel of speakers further went on to state that the Minister of Justice was to be given a grace period till August 21, to dismiss the accusation. The UNP ministers also made a request from the president to remove the Ministerial portfolio of Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa should he fail to dismiss the accusation. 

Accordingly, as Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa has not responded to the request made by the UNP working committee, UNP party leaders will make a request from the President to release Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa from his Ministerial portfolio.