The Cabinet has decided to appoint an independent panel of inquiry headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to look into the alleged trespassing of Minister of State Lohan Ratwatte into Welikada and Anuradhapura prisons with a group of friends, Justice Minister Ali Sabri said in Parliament today (22). The Minister of Justice said this in response to a question raised by Jaffna District MP Gajendra Kumar Ponnambalam. The Minister said that he condemned this incident and that it should not have happened. He said he was saddened by the plight of the victims and their families. Mr. Ali Sabri said that no attempt should be made to give a political or racist interpretation to this incident and that this was not the case. He said the incident was already being investigated and that the Human Rights Commission was conducting an independent investigation. Speaking in Parliament, Gajendra Kumar Ponnambalam asked whether the government would give an assurance that the state minister involved in the incident would not be allowed to hold any more ministerial posts.