SC moved against acquittal of group arrested with 197 kgs of heroin:
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The Colombo High Court Lawyers’ Association has sought an explanation from Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam, PC, as regards accusations made against the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar Bench over the recent acquittal of five persons, indicted before it, for the possession of nearly 197 kgs of heroin.
The Bench comprising Colombo High Court Judges Adithya Patabendige, Manjula Thilakaratne and Mahesh Weeraman acquitted the group on the basis of serious contradictions in the evidence led by the prosecution.
President of the Association Lakshman Perera told The Island yesterday (26) that the AG owed an explanation as the presenter of a YouTube video, who accused the panel of judges of wrongdoing, based his accusations on information provided by a senior official of the AG’s Department.
The Association stated in its letter dated April 25 to the AG that if such allegations had been made by a senior official of the AG’s Department that would be a slur on the Department. The Association has stressed that the only remedy is an appeal against the Trial-at-Bar judgment.
The AG’s Department on the same day moved the Supreme Court against the April 06 ruling.
The Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar, having concluded the hearings, within six months, acquitted and discharged the suspects on 06 April 2023, on the basis the prosecution failed to prove the charges against the accused, beyond reasonable doubt.
Rajaratnam succeeded Dappula de Livera in May 2021. At the time of the detection, the incumbent Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya had served as the AG.
Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, appointed a Trial-at-Bar, following a request made by AG Rajaratnam. The suspects in this case were Jayakody Arachchige Anura Chaminda Appuhamy, Thawarasa Sudakaran, Aglesa Pillai Thawarasa, Yaddihi Arachchige Lasantha Priyalal and Kandayiya Chandrakumar.
Navy headquarters directed Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) SLNS Sagara to intercept the fishing craft, carrying heroin, in April 2019, after police alerted the presence of the vessel in international waters.
The Colombo High Court Lawyers Association has asked the AG to explain how he intended to address the issue at hand in case the YouTuber obtained information from one of his officers.