Minister of Environment Dr. Dhammika Patabendige has announced plans to appoint a special committee to investigate allegations of corruption and irregularities in the legal proceedings surrounding the X-Press Pearl maritime disaster.
The Minister stated that the committee will be established within the coming month and tasked primarily with reviewing the legal processes that followed the incident, with particular emphasis on government agreements and compensation claims.
The X-Press Pearl container ship caught fire and sank off the coast of Negombo on May 20, 2021, causing extensive damage to Sri Lanka’s marine ecosystem. Since then, numerous complaints have been raised concerning the handling of legal actions and compensation recovery efforts.
Concerns have also been voiced about the decision to allow the vessel entry into the Port of Colombo prior to the disaster.
The newly formed committee will examine these issues in detail and submit recommendations for further action.
Legal proceedings related to the disaster are currently ongoing in Singapore and Australia, as Sri Lanka pursues compensation for the environmental damage caused.
