COLOMBO — Sri Lanka's parliament appointed 11 lawmakers, seven of them in the ruling party's coalition, on Wednesday to investigate an impeachment motion that accuses the country's chief justice of misusing power and having unexplained wealth. Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake denies wrongdoing, and opposition parties and independent analysts say the impeachment attempt is aimed at stifling judiciary independence and concentrating power with Sri Lanka's president. Coalition lawmakers submitted the motion two weeks ago, calling for a Parliament Select Committee to investigate 14 charges and remove Bandaranayake. It alleged her actions had “plunged the Supreme Court and the office of chief justice into disrepute.” Parliamentary Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa announced that the committee — which includes seven government lawmakers and four from opposition parties — would investigate the charges published in Parliament's official agenda last week. The committee is headed by government minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, who is also a lawyer. Bandaranayake has said she “can easily refute” the allegations. — AP
