Courtesy Hiru News

The Speaker of Parliament and his Private Secretary should step down until investigations into a bribery complaint against them are concluded, according to SJB Kurunegala District MP Dayasiri Jayasekara.

Speaking in Parliament today (5), Jayasekara urged the President and the government to address the matter, asserting that remaining in office during the probe is ethically inappropriate.

The MP noted that his attempt to raise a question of privilege regarding the complaint earlier this morning was blocked by the Speaker.

Following the formal tabling of the complaint—which was originally filed at the Bribery Commission by the suspended Deputy Secretary General of Parliament—Jayasekara called for their voluntary resignation on moral grounds.

The complaint alleges serious misuse of state property, which the opposition argues disqualifies the Speaker from presiding over parliamentary proceedings.

Jayasekara emphasized that this is a historic and unprecedented situation, as no high-ranking parliamentary official has leveled such grave accusations against a Speaker in the country’s history.