High Court re-summons President, PM

By T. Farook Thjaudeen

The Colombo High Court yesterday re-summoned President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to appear in court to give evidence in a forgery case against former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake.

High Court Judge Vickum Kaluarachchi also issued summons on the 10th and 11th witnesses who were also not present in court for the case’s hearing yesterday.

The witnesses four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 12 and 15, who were present in court, were warned to be present on the next case date to give evidence against Attanayake for displaying a fraudulent document to the media during the last Presidential Election for the purpose of tarnishing the image of then Common Candidate Maithripala Sirisena in favour of Sirisena’s opponent, Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The Attorney General had charged Attanayake under Section 3 (1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act No. 56 of 2007. The AG further asserted that Attanayake had committed a punishable offence under Sections 454 and 459 of the Penal Code by displaying a forged document to the public and proclaiming it to be genuine. The accused had also committed an offence under Section 80-C of the Presidential Election Act. 

Section 3 (1) of the ICCPR cites that no person shall propagate war or advocate national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to cause discrimination, hostility or violence.

The Attorney General indicted Attanayake for releasing a document to the media on 22 December 2014 over an alleged secret agreement between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe.

Attanayake was in remand custody for displaying the fraudulent document to the media at the last Presidential Election provoking racial or religious hatred between the country’s ethnic communities.

Senior State Counsel Lakmini Girihagama appeared for the prosecution on behalf of the Attorney General. Kalinga Indatissa PC defended Attanayake.

President Counsel Nissanka Nanyakkara watched the interests of President Sirisena and Premier Wickremesinghe.