Refurbishment of the Hulftsdorp Supreme Court complex commenced today (31), with financial assistance of RMB 240 million from the Chinese Government.
The total construction area of the ‘China Aid Comprehensive Refurbishment Project of Sri Lanka Complex’, is 23,602 sq. metres.
The ceremony to start the renovation work was held at 10.00 am today with the participation of Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, PC, Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC, and Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka – Qi Zhenhong.
Strengthening diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and China, in 1998, the Supreme Court complex was built with a grant from the Chinese Government and handed over to the Government of Sri Lanka, followed by the signing of an agreement between both countries in 2016. According to this agreement, it has been decided to extensively renovate the Hulftsdorp Supreme Court complex.
The renovation work will be carried out within 32 months in two phases. Under the first phase, The section housing the Court of Appeal will be renovated under the first phase while the area of the Supreme Court will be renovated under the second phase. The renovations are to be completed on Oct. 17, 202.
Although the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has banned 22 institutions operating illegal pyramid schemes, no legal action has been taken against any of them so far, according to reports.
This was disclosed during a workshop held at the CBSL yesterday (July 08) on the dangers of pyramid schemes.
According to CBSL officials, after initial investigations, the files were handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further inquiry.
The CID’s Financial Crimes Unit has reportedly completed its investigations and submitted findings to the Attorney General’s Department, which is responsible for filing cases.
However, it was noted that not a single case has been filed to date.
The CBSL states that investigations will be continued against companies engaged in these illegal practices and hopes at least one or two such cases would be filed by the end of this year or early next year (2026).
U. D. Nishantha Jayaweera was sworn in as a National People’s Power (NPP) National List Member of Parliament before the Speaker of the House – Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, today (July 09).
He fills the Parliamentary seat left vacant following the resignation of Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma last month.