Graft, misconduct charges against Sri Lanka's chief justice
Misconduct also alleged in impeachment motion against Bandaranayake, part of political battle that sees husband facing corruption trial
Sri Lanka's ruling party has accused the country's chief justice, Shirani Bandaranayake, of 14 counts of financial corruption and misconduct in an impeachment motion, setting the stage for a potentially destabilising clash between the government and judiciary.
Relations between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Bandaranayake have been deteriorating in recent months, with the judiciary complaining of interference and the government complaining that she had over-stepped her authority.
Bandaranayake, Sri Lanka's first woman chief of the supreme court, faces charges ranging from having undeclared assets to violating constitutional provisions, according to the impeachment motion lodged in parliament.
"She has plunged the entire supreme court and specially the office of the chief justice into disrepute," said the motion, signed by 117 United People's Freedom Alliance politicians.
Among the accusations is a charge that she had nine bank accounts that were not revealed in her assets declaration on taking office in May 2011. She is also accused of failing to declare around US$250,000 in foreign currency.
The order paper says that Bandaranayake is unfit to remain chief justice because she has the power to transfer or take disciplinary action against judges or examine case documents when her husband, a former state bank chairman, is on trial for corruption. She is also accused of misusing her position to harass other judges.