Court case filed against Gotabaya over disappearances

Colombo: Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will face legal action over the forced disappearance of two Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) members 12 years back, it was reported on Monday.
Attorney-at-Law Nuwan Bopage told the Island newspaper that Rajapaksa will have to be present in the court of appeal on September 19 to know what happened to Lalith Kumar Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganandan.
Bopage, who represents the victims’ families, said Lalith and Kugan were members of the leftwing FSP and engaged in the party’s human rights circles.
They went missing on December 9, 2011 while they were making arrangements to celebrate World Human Rights Day in Jaffna.
When that was questioned in a habeas corpus case, the Court was told that the then government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told the media that both Lalith and Kugan were in police custody.
“Summoned before the courts, Rambukwella testified that he had received that information from the Defence Ministry, whose Secretary at the time was Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
“Rajapaksa was summoned to testify but he did not appear, saying that he was receiving medical treatment abroad.”
The summons was again issue to Rajapaksa after he returned to Sri Lanka early this month, two months after he fled the country following a mass revolt against the economic crisis. (UNI)