The Attorney General today informed Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar that the prosecution does not intend to press criminal charges against former Navy Commander WasanthaKarannagoda in connection with the abduction of eleven persons in 2008 and 2009.
Senior State Counsel Janaka Bandararepresenting the Attorney General, made these remarks when the case came up before the Trial-at-Bar bench comprising High Court Judges Champa Janaki Rajarathne (President), AmalRanaraja and Nawaratne Marasinghe.
The High Court Trial-at-Bar was informed that the Court of Appeal has already issued an Interim Order staying proceedings against Wasantha Karannagoda. This Interim Order will be effective until the final determination of this writ petition.
Accordingly, the case was fixed for September 22 to obtain clarification regarding the interim order issued by the Court of Appeal. On January 24, 2020, the Court served indictments on 13 accused including Navy intelligence officials in connection with the abduction, torture, extortion and conspiracy to murder eleven persons in 2008 and 2009.
Accordingly, indictments with 667 counts under Penal Code were served on thirteen accused except Wasantha Karannagoda.
The indictments with 667 counts had been filed against former Navy Commander WasanthaKarannagoda, navy officers D.K.P. Dasanayake, Sampath Munasinghe, Sumith Ranasinghe, Dilanka Senaratne, Nalin PrasannaWickremasuriya, Anton Fernando, RajapakshaPathirannehelage Kitsiri, Aruna ThusharaMendis, Kathriarachchilage Gamini alias Ampara Gamini, Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi alias Navy Sampath, UpulChaminda alias Annachchi, NandapriyaHettihendi and Sampath Janaka Kumara alias Podi Kumara under the Penal Code.
The Attorney General maintained that information has exhibited that the accused have committed punishable offences that come under section 102, 113 A, 356, 338, 333, 198, 372, 32 and 296 of the Penal Code in respect of conspiracy, abduction with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine a person, wrongful confinement for the purpose of confinement, conspiracy to extort, extortion, giving false information and conspiracy to commit murder.
Those abducted and murdered were S.A. Leon Stanly, Roshan Leon Stanly, John Reed, Thiyagaraja Jhegan, Rajiv Naganadan, Ramalingam Thilakeshwaran, Pradeep Vishvanadan, Mohammed Saajith, Mohammed Dilan, Kasthuri Arachchilage Anthony and Mohammed Anwar Mubarak.
