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Pardon for Royal Park murderer: Rathana Thera slams Sirisena, denies bribetaking
View(s):By Sandun Jayawardana
Parliamentarian Ven Aturaliye Rathana Thera has hit out at former President Maithripala Sirisena, insisting that due process was followed in obtaining a Presidential pardon for the Royal Park murder convict Jude Shramantha Jayamaha.
Mr. Jayamaha was sentenced to death for the 2005 murder of Yvonne Jonsson at the Royal Park condominium complex in Rajagiriya. Ven Rathana strongly refuted comments by former President Sirisena during a talk show on a private TV station that money had changed hands in the granting of a pardon to Mr Jayamaha. President Sirisena granted the pardon claiming it came at the insistence of Ven. Rathana Thera and he believed money changed hands, but he did not benefit financially from granting the pardon.
Mr Sirisena claimed that Ven RathanaThera came to him with Jayamaha’s family on several occasions, sometimes uninvited to his residence to plead his release. “There were claims that I took millions to grant this pardon,” he said, in the interview. “I told intelligence agencies to look into these claims. They did establish that someone took money from the family, though I never took five cents.” He implied that those who interested in securing Jayamaha’s release may have taken the money.
The Ven Rathana Thera said he had telephoned the Head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) Nilantha Jayawardana after seeing the remarks. “I asked him if the intelligence agencies reported such a thing to President Sirisena,” he said. “He (Jayawardana) told me he did not know what Mr Sirisena was talking about.”
He also claimed it was the late Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera who introduced the Jayamaha family to him and had asked him to “do what he could”
for the family.
Mr. Jayamaha’s release had been recommended by an expert panel comprising former judges, lawyers and psychiatrists who evaluate those serving lengthy sentences and recommend a pardon if eligible, Ven Rathana claimed.
“We only approached the President after the panel had made its recommendation for his release,” he said. “This is not like what happened with the pardoning of Duminda Silva. There was a process that was duly followed.”
The Thera lodged a complaint with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Thursday asking for an investigation to be held into Mr. Sirisena’s comments. “He (Sirisena) did not mention me directly, only implying that I was among those who took money. If he had accused me directly, I would have sued him already,” he said.
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