A complaint has been lodged with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) over the failure to recover compensation owed to Sri Lanka in connection with the X-Press Pearl disaster.
The complaint was filed today (31) by Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, the Chairman of the Doctors' Trade Union Alliance for Medical and Civil Rights.
Dr. Sanjeewa said the Supreme Court, in a landmark judgment delivered in 2025 by a five-member bench headed by then Chief Justice Murdu Fernando, determined that the X-Press Pearl disaster had resulted in a violation of fundamental rights and ordered that US$1 billion be paid to the government of Sri Lanka.
However, more than a year after the judgment, the government has failed to recover US$999 million of the compensation, he claimed.
He said the complaint calls for a comprehensive investigation into the reasons for the failure to recover the funds under the present administration.
“More than a year has passed since the original judgment was delivered, yet the Sri Lankan Government has failed to recover US$999 million. We have therefore requested a comprehensive investigation into why the government has been unable to recover the money under the current administration,” Dr. Sanjeewa said.
