CA extends interim order staying proceedings till May 18 | Daily News
Almanac case against Basil Rajapaksa:

CA extends interim order staying proceedings till May 18

The Court of Appeal yesterday further extended its Interim Order staying any further proceeding into the controversial almanac case filed against former Minister Basil Rajapaksa before High Court Judge Gihan Kulatunga who is currently presiding over Court No.6 of the Colombo High Court, until May 18.

Court of Appeal (President) Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justice Arjuna Obeysekara made this order consequent to a Transfer Application filed by former Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa seeking an order staying any further proceedings into the almanac case heard before Colombo High Court Judge Gihan Kulatunga.

Meanwhile, Justice Preethi Padman Surasena yesterday declined to sit in the bench regarding this petition since he had functioned as a member of the Presidential Commission (PRECIFAC) which initiated an inquiry against him.

Rajapaksa has sought an order transferring the case from the Colombo High Court presided over by High Court Judge Gihan Kulatunga to any other High Court in Colombo.

Judge Kulatunga also delivered the judgement regarding the controversial sil redi (fabrics used by devotees to observe sil) distribution case. Former Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and former Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) Director General Anusha Palpita were sentenced to three years’ rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court for misappropriating Rs. 600 million of funds belonging to the TRC.

In his petition, Basil Rajapaksa stated that High Court Judge Gihan Kulatunga was a member of the Presidential Commission (PRECIFAC) which initiated an inquiry against him.

He further stated that one of the primary grounds on which the proceedings before PRECIFAC are sought to be challenged by him before the Court of Appeal complaining that he was denied a fair hearing at the purported inquiry by the PRECIFAC.

On November 15, the High Court case against the two accused including former Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa for allegedly misappropriating Rs.29.4 million of funds belonging to the Divi Neguma Department was fixed for trial to be heard on a day-to-day basis beginning on November 24 by Judge Gihan Kulatunga.

The Attorney General had filed indictments against former Minister and former Director General of the Divi Neguma Department Kithsiri Ranawaka in the Colombo High Court for allegedly printing five million almanacs with the image of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, costing Rs. 29.4 million, to be used as election propaganda material during the January 2015 Presidential Election. President's Counsel Gamini Marapana with Counsel Navin Marapana and Counsel Sanath Wijewardena appeared for Basil Rajapaksa. Senior State Counsel Sudarshana Silva appeared for the Attorney General.


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