Judge directs Army Commander:

Produce General Fonseka in Court

Sarath MALALASEKERA

Colombo Chief Magistrate and Additional District Judge Champa Janaki Rajaratnam yesterday issued notice on the Army Commander to produce retired General Sarath Fonseka, now in Army custody, before Court on May 12.

The Judge issued notice on an application by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) who are conducting investigations into a statement made by retired General Sarath Fonseka to a weekend English newspaper that Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had given instructions or orders to Brigadier Shavendra Silva to fire at the LTTE suspects who surrendered to the Security Forces with white flags.

The CID filing a further report before Court in connection with the statement by Fonseka to the newspaper, they said that according to their investigations Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had not given such instructions or orders.

The CID moved court to grant permission to make retired General Sarath Fonseka a suspect in the case as he had made a false statement to the newspaper.

The Judge directed the CID to submit a comprehensive report about their ongoing investigations against Fonseka before Court grant permission to make him a suspect.

According to the investigations carried out by the CID, the LTTE suspects who surrendered to the Armed forces had been rehabilitated.

The CID had also recorded two statements from a journalist who had recorded retired General Sarath Fonseka’s statement and the proprietor of the newspaper organization. The two statements had been forwarded to Courts, the CID said. Sub Inspector Anura de Silva appeared for the CID.