Kadirgamar assassination case:

Prosecution allowed to remove names of Prabhakaran, Pottu Amman

Sandasen Marasinghe

Colombo High Court yesterday permitted the prosecution to remove the names of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman from the indictment filed in connection with the former Foreign Minister Laksman Kadirgamar assassination case.

Colombo High Court Judge Kumuduni Wickramasinghe allowed the removal of their names from the indictment after the Court was informed that those two were dead. The Court also allowed to amended the indictment by making Muttaiyah Sahadevan and Isithor Arokyanathan alias Babu the first and the second accused in the case.

Former Foreign Minister Laksman Kadirgamar was assassinated in a sniper attack at his residence in Longden Place, Colombo on August 12, 2005.

The Attorney General filed indictment against Velupillai Prabhakaran, Pottu Amman alias Shiva Shankar, Charles alias Charlis Master, Komadee Manimekala alias Madee, Muttaiyah Sahadevan and Isithor Arokyanathan alias Babu for conspiring with another LTTE member Vinothan to assassinate Minister Kadirgamar and committing the murder as a result of a conspiracy at Killinochchi and at Colombo between January 01, 2005 and August 12, 2005.

The High Court removed the names of Charlis Master, Komadee Manimekala on May 13 from the indictment as the Court was informed by the prosecution those two were dead.

Muttaiyah Sahadevan and Isithor Arokyanathan alias Babu are in remand custody.

Deputy Solicitor General Kapila Vaidyaratne, Senior State Counsel Shanil Kularatne and State Counsel Shehan de Silva appeared for the Attorney General.