Rishard apologises to court, contempt case settled
Saturday, 15 March 2014 00:00
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By Dharisha Bastians
Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiyutheen has apologized to court yesterday after he was slapped with contempt of court charges for intimidating a magistrate in Mannar in July 2012.
The Minister apologised to the Court of Appeal and to members of the judiciary regarding the contempt of court charges and expressed regret for the pain he caused to the Mannar Magistrate.
At a press conference yesterday after he issued an apology and the matter was settled in court, Minister Bathiyutheen said he had the highest regard for the judiciary and said he had apologised for “the unauthorised use of the telephone.”
President’s Counsel M.M. Zuhair who represented the Minister in court said the settlement was a win-win for both parties. “The court case on the violent incidents in Mannar is not over and will continue. Since it is on-going, no comments on that,” Zuhair PC added.
The lawyer for the Minister maintained that the Minister had not made the phone call to the Magistrate but that his telephone had been used in an unauthorised manner.
Minister Bathiyutheen was accused of intimidating the Mannar Magistrate A. Judeson on 18 July, 2012 over a court ruling against a group of just resettled Muslim fishermen in the Mannar District of the northwestern region.
The Appeal Court in late July 2012 issued an order to show cause in response to a contempt of court case filed by a group of lawyers over the Minister’s alleged attempt to thwart the course of justice by intimidating a Magistrate and trying to revoke the magistrate’s ruling.
The Minister had pleaded not guilty to the contempt charges. Following his apology, the contempt of court application filed against the Minister was settled in Court yesterday.
