Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara informed Parliament yesterday (08) that the Select Committee appointed to investigate the controversial release of 323 containers from the Port without the required scanning will be convened during the current Parliamentary sessions.
Responding to a question raised by Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Ajith P. Perera, the Minister said the Government is fully committed to holding the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) meetings to probe the incident. He added that the roadmap and programme for conducting the committee meetings would be communicated to committee members in due course.
Minister Nanayakkara explained that the delay in convening the PSC meetings was due to the inability of a majority of committee members to attend a meeting scheduled in December 2025, following the sudden convening of Parliament on that day. He noted that this decision and the reasons for postponement had already been conveyed to MP Ajith P. Perera last month.
Raising the issue in Parliament, MP Ajith P. Perera said the PSC had been appointed to investigate a matter of serious national concern, yet no meetings had been held since November 2025.
“This is a crucial issue that the entire country discussed, and even the ruling party agreed that a Select Committee should investigate it. However, no meetings have been held so far,” he said.
Perera stressed that the responsibility for convening the meetings lies with the Chairman of the Select Committee, who is the Justice Minister. He added that although a meeting scheduled last month was postponed, any deliberate delay or discouragement in holding the inquiry would raise further concerns.
“I am a member of this committee and we are fully prepared to actively participate. The people of this country want to know how Parliament intends to address this issue,” he said.
The SJB MP called on the Government to present a clear roadmap outlining when the committee meetings will begin, how many days they will be held, and the overall programme of investigations, so that members can plan accordingly.
