AG TO APPEAL AGAINST RAVIRAJ VERDICT

04/01/2017

Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya PC said he is considering appealing against the verdict of Parliamentarian Nadaraja Raviraj murder case before the Appeal Court.

He said the very day after the verdict was announced, he had requested the Court Registrar to forward the case record to him.

He was perusing other points concerned until the case record is received by him.Colombo High Court Judge Manilal Waidyatilleke issuing the verdict in the case involving the murder of Raviraj and his security guard acquitted and released all five accused in the case in keeping with the unanimous decision of the special jury.

Six accused including three navy intelligence officers who were accused over the murder of former TNA Jaffna district MP Nadaraja Raviraj were acquitted and released on December 24, 2016 from the case after they were found not guilty by the Colombo High Court.

The verdict which was delivered by High Court Judge Manilal Waidyatilleke as per the unanimous decision reached by the jury, came following a month long trial.

The jury’s decision was that the accused cannot be convicted based solely on the fact that they were identified by several witnesses in the case.

The High Court allowed to proceed with the Raviraj murder trial in absentia of the three accused Palana Sami Suresh alias Sami, Sivakanthan Vivekanandan alias Charan and Fabian Royston Toussaint who were evading Court since the initiation of investigations.

The indictments were filed against six accused Palana Sami Suresh alias Sami, Prasad Chandana Kumara alias Sampath, Gamini Seneviratne, Pradeep Chaminda alias Vajira, Sivakanthan Vivekanandan alias Charan and Fabian Royston Tousssaint on five counts, including committing the murder of former MP Nadaraja Raviraj and his security officer Lokuwella Murage Lakshman under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Penal Code.

Three accused who were not present before Court, had been identified as ex-LTTE cadres affiliated to the Karuna faction. Wijeya Wickrema Manamperige Sanjaya Preethi Viraj was made State witness in the Raviraj murder trial.

Raviraj was shot dead near his residence at Manning Town in Narahenpita during the period between November 9, 2006 and November 10, 2006 when he was driving his vehicle along Martha Road. The CID recovered the trishaw and the weapon alleged to have been used in the killing of the former Parliamentarian.

Kamani Alwis/DN