Gota, Ali Sabry, Where Are The Defamation Cases? Very Unlike “Who Is Lasantha”?

By Suranimala –APRIL 18, 2022

APRIL 18, 2022

I recall a youtube clip where Ali Sabry, Gota‘s personal lawyer making an impassioned speech before TV cameras at Mt Lavinia court premises after filing a defamation action against the World Press Freedom Hero and UN award winner for Integrity the murdered Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge and The Sunday Leader.

Full of fire and brimstone it was, with Gota by his side. He even obtained an enjoining order against the newspaper to desist from defaming Gota in the future. Huh? Methinks, defamation must be proved in the first instance. Never mind. That is how it was then.

Be that as it may, the then Rambo, the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence settled the case after giving evidence in chief. Remember he said under oath that the MiG deal was government to government? Now we know it was anything but.

Lawyer M.A. Sumanthiran who appeared for The Sunday Leader had been instructed by Lasantha who had the evidence that the purchase price of the MiGs from the Ukraine Government and the price paid by the Sri Lankan Government was different. The inflated sum of money for the MiGs was paid to a shell Company Bellimissa Holdings registered in England. Nearly twice the sum was paid by the Sri Lankan Government but the Ukrain Government denied supplying the said MiGs to the Sri Lankan Government. Naturally. It was to Bellimissa Holdings.

Perhaps, unknown to the newspaper, Lasantha and the rest of Sri Lankans, Bellimissa Holdings belonged to the Government of Sri Lanka. This is not difficult to surmise. We have since heard someone say, “I am the Government. My words are the rule”. By the time Gota was to be cross-examined Lasantha had been murdered.

Gota’s rant about “Who is Lasantha?” has gone viral. His follow-up during that famous rant with the BBC no less had an interesting addition. “I went to court. Isn’t that the right thing to do?”

Ok, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Ok, Ali Sabry. Here is an interesting thought. Just listen to the thousands, nay tens of thousands on every street corner and the thronging mass at Galleface green now named as GotaGoGama. What are they saying?

GOTA GO HOME.
GOTA PISSEK (Gota is a lunatic)
GOTA HOREK (Gota is a thief)
GIVE US OUR MONEY

Gotabaya was only the Secretary to the Minsitry of Defence when he was highly inflamed that murdered Lasantha and his newspaper The Sunday Leader had (according to him) defamed his pristine Lillywhite character. Go to court he did. Publicized such fact on TV. Got no less than Ali Sabry (who is Ali Sabry?) at the time to appear for him. Dominated the court at Mt Lavinia by even preventing the lawyers from parking their cars within the court premises. Got all heads of Police, Army, Navy and Airforce to be present in court. Oh, what a show it was.

He was angry, insulted and defamed. So he pleaded in his petition filed by Sabry.

Come, come Gota. You are President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka now. You are no longer the lowly Secretary of Defence anymore. Come, come Ali Sabry. You are no longer the lowly personal Lawyer of the former Secretary to the Ministry of Defence. You are now The Minister of Finance of the Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka. You were also (are you still? Confused with you taking oaths one day and resigning the next day and taking oaths again the very next day) the Minister of Justice?

Again, be that as it may, listen to the very people who voted for you returning your rants but with much more venom at every street corner and Galleface green.

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