CCC AGM – Jayampathy takes over

Jayampathy Bandaranayake, chairman of Ceylon Tobacco Co (CTC), took over the reins as chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce yesterday at the chamber’s annual general meeting. Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva, chief guest, was unable to attend as he was indisposed, chamber officials announced at the event.

Anura Ekanayake, formerly from Unilever and now a business consultant, was elected Vice Chairman and Susantha Ratnayake, Chairman of John Keells Holdings (JKH) as Deputy Vice Chairman. Earlier on Monday, the chief justice, with two other judges agreeing, in a judgement relating to the fundamental rights case against the privatisation of Lanka Marine Services Ltd (LMSL) ordered Treasury Secretary Dr. P. B. Jayasundera to pay Rs 500,000 as compensation saying the deal was illegal, unlawful and arbitrary

The JKH, virtual owners of LMSL with a 90 percent majority stake, was ordered to vacate the premises (where the bunkering facility is) within one month and its directors were asked to pay Rs 250,000 as costs by the court. Dr Jayasundera was Chairman of PERC (Public Enterprise Reforms Commission) at the time the privatisation deal was approved in 2002.