Parliamentary Secretariat refutes news articles claiming Speaker directed to take action against its employees for using drugs

The Parliamentary Secretariat has refuted news articles circulated in media under the headline “Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne has decided to take strict action regarding a group of employees using drugs, alcohol and cigarettes within the Parliamentary premises.”

Issuing a statement, the Department of Communication of Parliament noted that the news articles have no basis and stressed that the Speaker has never instructed any official of Parliament to take strict action against such groups of employees.

Additionally, the statement noted that reports claiming the Speaker issued such instructions after receiving information that certain employees, including those in the catering division, were secretly using alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes are also fabricated.

Accordingly, media reports alleging that the Speaker accused parliamentary officials for allowing such situations to develop are entirely baseless and untrue, the Department of Communication of Parliament added.