Former Chief Justice demands release of Fonseka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 October 2010, 04:49 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s former Chief Justice Sarath Nanda Silva Monday signed a public petition demanding Sri Lanka government to release Sarath Fonseka, the former Commander of the Sri Lanka from Welikada prison where the latter is serving a jail sentence on being found guilty by the Second Court Martial for involvement in politics while serving the army. The petition is to be submitted to Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa shortly. The event of signing the petition was held at J. R. Jayawardene Centre Monday, sources in Colombo said.

Later Sarath Silva addressed a media briefing where he said that Mahinda Rajapakse would not be in President’s office today without the intervention of the law courts regarding a case filed against him.

Sarath Silva added that Mahinda Rajapaksa faced charges in the case of fraudulently taking 78 million rupees through the “Helping Hambantota” project while he was contesting the 2005 Presidential Election.

Rajapaksa filed a fundamental rights petition in the Supreme Court when the police took action to arrest him on the fraud charges.

FR application of Rajapaksa was heard by the Supreme Court headed by him, Sarath Silva said.