By Faadhila Tassim in Ceylon Today, Apr 5, 2023
Sri Lanka will lose the compensation claim of an estimated USD 10 billion if legal action pertaining to the MV X-Press Pearl ship fire is not instituted within the next 45 days, the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) said.
A report published by CEJ stated that under Sri Lankan Law, the case to claim compensation has to be filed within two years of the incident, thereby before 29 May 2023.
It was observed that the failure to do so would be a failure on the part of the Attorney General’s Department and the Cabinet of Ministers.
“For now, there is a request for USD 6.4 billion as compensation for the harm caused to the marine environment, the shore and the neighbouring communities, tourism, fishermen, and the pollution it caused to the atmosphere. Based on legal advice, CEJ identifies that the existing legal precedents in Sri Lanka are sufficient to receive compensation which was reiterated by other professionals.
However, at present, the Cabinet, the Ministry of Justice, together with the Attorney General’s Department, have taken the decision to conduct legal proceedings in Singapore, creating a sense of uncertainty. We have been informed that an Australian has advised the Government of Sri Lanka to do so and that the Singaporean authorities are already preparing for the necessary proceedings. The former and present Ministers of Justice Ali Sabry and Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe are aware of this situation. We have also learnt that Sri Lanka has borrowed USD 4.5 million to fund this endeavour,” the report stated.https://ceylontoday.lk/2023/04/05/sl-will-lose-usd-10b-x-press-pearl-compensation-claim-cej-2/
