Appeal Court extends Interim Order staying High Court proceedings against Basil

By S.S. Selvanayagam

The Court of Appeal yesterday extended until 16 March the Interim Order staying further proceedings of the Colombo High Court against former minister Basil Rajapaksa. 

The bench comprising justices P. Padman Surasena (CA President) and A.L.S. Gooneratne.

Senior State Counsel Sudharshana de Silva, appearing for the Attorney General, informed Court that they had filed an objection on 29 January.

Court granted time until 15 March for the Accused-Petitioner to file a counter objection.

Accused-Petitioner Rajapakse in his petition seeks an order from the Court to transfer his case to another Colombo High Court.

He says that a relentless campaign of vilification is being carried out by certain elements of the present Government, demanding investigations and arrests against family members and close allies of former President Mahinda Rajapakse despite his defeat at the January 2015 Presidential Election. He states that the former President’s sons Namal and Yoshitha Rajapaksa, his wife Shiranthi Rajapaksa and his brother former Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his political allies and he have been subjected to numerous investigations and cases.

He states that he and the former president’s two elder sons have been arrested and produced in magistrate’s courts or remanded on multiple occasions over the past two years.

He states that he presently stands indicted before the High Court, with his case fixed to be called before HC No. 3 by A.A.R. Heyyanthuduwa, HC No. 5 by Rathnapriya Gurusinghe and HC No. 6 by Gihan Kulatunga.