Sri Lanka Court of Appeal to hear former Army Commander's writ application

Sri Lanka Court of Appeal Friday decided to continue the inquiry into the writ application filed by former Army Commander and Democratic National Alliance (DNA) leader Sarath Fonseka against his removal from the parliament.

The tri-member Court of Appeal comprising judges Ranjith Silva, A.W. Salam and Upali Abeyratna has unanimously decided to proceed to hear Fonseka's petition despite the preliminary objection by the Attorney General.

The Appeal Court set until April 25 for the prosecution to file objections. The petition is to be heard on May 3, 4 and 9.

The Attorney General has requested the court to dismiss the writ application without inquiry since the Supreme Court had ruled that the Court Martial is a recognized court in Sri Lanka according to country's Constitution.

In September last year, a court martial found Fonseka guilty of four charges related to alleged irregularities in military procurements during his tenure as Army Chief, and sentenced him to a 30-month rigorous prison term.

The DNA leader lost his parliamentary seat due to the prison sentence.