By: Isuru Parakrama
Colombo (LNW): The lawsuit filed in the Singapore High Court demanding compensation for the eco damages caused by the MV X-Press Pearl disaster is set to be taken up for the first time today (09).
Sri Lanka will be represented by a law firm in Singapore at the country’s High Court, revealed Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe.
The move comes in despite opinion from a number of critics that suing over the disaster at a foreign court would be disadvantageous to Sri Lanka. The Attorney General’s Office on April 26 said that legal action was being taken at a court in Singapore demanding compensation for the damage.
The cargo vessel MV X-Press Pearl was destroyed by fire and sank in the Sri Lankan waters in May, 2021 during the Gotabaya Rajapaksa regime, making it the worst eco disaster in the recent history and having a severe impact on the island’s sensitive coastal environment, local communities and even the economy.