White flag issue:
Fonseka never denied my story - Fredrica Jansz
Sarath MALALASEKERA
Sunday Leader Chief Editor Fredrica Jansz giving evidence before the
Trial-at-Bar consisting of three High Court Judges, examined by Deputy
Solicitor General Wasantha Navaratne Bandara yesterday said that Sarath
Fonseka never denied her lead story in the Sunday Leader of December 12,
2009 about the white flag issue.
Sarath Fonseka on a subsequent date after having lengthy discussions
with several of his friends including Mangala Samaraweera and several
others asked her to carry a clarification in the Sunday Leader on
December 20, 2009 stating that LTTE leaders were killed not while they
were carrying white flags but during the war.
The three Judges are Colombo High Court Judge Deepali Wijesundera
(President), Colombo High Court Judge W T M B P Warawewa and Colombo
High Court Judge M Z Razeen. Examined at length by Deputy Solicitor
General Navaratna Bandara, Jansz said that she could not contact Sarath
Fonseka after publishing the clarification in the newspapers.
But the JVPers carried a massive campaign against her and attempted
to tarnish her character.
Jansz said that in respect of her article about the white flag issue
over 1,000 people had commented about the story and the BBC also
contacted her. Later Sarath Fonseka made a public announcement about the
issue.
She did not attend any press conference about the white flag issue
but she spoke once to Sarath Fonseka after the story appeared in the
paper. Questioned about a news item which appeared in the Sunday Leader
newspaper "Her Story" on January 3, 2010, the witness said that she
wrote that story because the JVP conducted a protest campaign against
her.
After "Her Story" appeared in the newspaper, Sarath Fonseka did not
contact her. Many people told her to deny the story. Sarath Fonseka
never said that he would sue her for the story which appeared in the
Sunday Leader about the white flag issue.
Jansz said that she made a statement to the CID about her story.
Cross-examined by Senior Counsel Nalin Ladduwahetty, Jansz said she was
charged for contempt of Court for not complying with a Court order.
Earlier she was told by the Mount Lavinia Court not to publish any
defamatory articles against Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa in the
Sunday Leader newspaper.
Answering the Senior Defence Counsel, Jansz said that she apologised
to the Supreme Court in a separate case earlier.
Sarath Fonseka pleaded not guilty to the three charges preferred
against him for making a false statement to The Sunday Leader Senior
Journalist Fredrica Jansz that Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had
told Brigadier Shavendra Silva to eliminate LTTE cadres who come with
white flags to surrender during the war.
The witness said that she was attached to the Sunday Times in 1991
joined the Sunday Leader newspaper in 1995.
Sarath Fonseka is charged on three counts under the Criminal
Procedure Code and under the Emergency Regulations Sections 28 and 29.
Deputy Solicitor General Wasantha Nawaratna Bandara with State Counsel
Lakmini Girihagama, State Counsel Yohan Liyanage and State Counsel L
Ratnayake appeared for the Attorney General.
Senior Attorney Nalin Ladduwahetty with Attorneys Nilanthi Peiris,
Ajith Pathirana, U L G Bandara, Mervyn de Silva, Namal Rajapaksa and
Swarna Bandara appeared for Sarath Fonseka.
Attorney-at-Law N M Shahied watched the interests of Fredrica Jansz.
The case will be called again today at 10.30 am. |