DILSHAN THARAKA
COLOMBO:The Attorney General’s Department yesterday informed the Court of Appeal that the charges against former Navy Commander and Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda over the abduction of 11 youth would not be moved forward.
Senior State Counsel Avanthi Perera appearing on behalf of the Attorney General, made this announcement when the writ petition filed by former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda seeking an annulment of the Attorney General’s decision to file a case against him before a Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar, was taken up before the Court of Appeal bench comprising Justices Sobhitha Rajakaruna and Dhammika Ganepola yesterday.
The Senior State Counsel informed Court that the Attorney General had decided not to pursue charges against the petitioner, the former Navy Commander, Wasantha Karannagoda who has been named as the accused in the case. Accordingly, steps will be taken to inform the High Court in this regard, she added.
The writ petition was fixed for further support on November 03 by the Court of Appeal.
Karannagoda is named the 14th defendant in the case filed against a group of Naval Intelligence officers pertaining to the alleged forced disappearance of 11 youths in Colombo in 2008 and 2009. On January 24, 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 consisting 667 counts under the Penal Code were served on 13 accused except former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda who was named as the fourteenth accused.
Meanwhile, a writ petition was filed in the Court of Appeal yesterday (13) seeking to quash the Attorney General’s decision to withdraw the indictment filed against former Navy Commander Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda for abducting and disappearing 11 youths before a Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar.
The petitions have been filed by the parents of three missing youths.
The petitioners allege through their petition that the Attorney General’s decision to withdraw the indictment against former Navy Commander Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda was an abuse of power by the Attorney General.
The petitioners are Saroja Govinda Sami Naganathan alias M. Sarojini Perera, Jamaldeen Jenny Faslin Jennifer Weerasinghe, Don Mervin Premalal Weerasinghe and Aminthul Jifria Sabdeen.
The Attorney General and former Commander of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda are the respondents.(CDN)
