Objections filed in Anura Bandaranaike testamentary case

Sandasen Marasinghe

Four close associates of late Anura Bandaranaike filed objections before Colombo District Court against the testamentary application filed stating that the sole intestate heirs to the property of deceased were former President Chandrika Bandaranaike and her sister Sunethra Bandaranaike.

The intervening petitioners filing their objections pleaded to quash the application filed by Sunethra Bandaranaike citing Chandrika Bandaranaike as the respondent since there was a last will executed by deceased Anura Bandaranaike.

The intervening petitioners S. D. Reni Derwin Saparamadu of USA, K. G. Ravindra Lal Perera, W. K. D. Senarath Chandrasinghe of Kirillawala and S. A. Wasantha Samarasekara of Nittambuwa filed their objections before the Court. They alleged that Anura Bandaranaike had left a last will under the registered No. 1286 through which he granted his property to Anura Bandaranaike Foundation and to some of his close friends.

S. D. R. D. Saparamadu stated that he was a close friend of Anura Bandaranaike for 22 years. Anura Bandaranaike handed over his last will to Attorney Scott Wellman in USA in Saparamadu’s presence in 1996.

The intervening petitioners prayed before the Court to declare that there was a last will in respect of the property which was prayed to be administered by Sunethra Bandaranaike. They also requested the Court to order the last will or a protocol of it be submitted before the Court.

Sunethra Bandaranaike in January 2009 filing a plaint before the Colombo District Court stated although it had been stated in media Anura Bandaranaike had died leaving a last will no proceedings had been commenced before Court to prove any last will executed by the deceased. So that petitioner and her sister Chandrika Bandaranaike were intestate heirs of the property of the deceased.

The hearing was put off for May 14.