Rtd. Navy man charged for giving false evidence

A retired Navy man now working at the Ports Authority was charged for giving false evidence and ordered to furnish cash bail in Rs. 100,000 and provide two sureties at administrative level with bail of Rs. 300,000 each. High Court Judge Ms. Kumudini Wickramasinghe made this order to Balachandra.C. Silva who stood as a surety in the Pathirage double murder case. The judge said bail was ordered on sympathetic grounds when the attorney Ms. Danaski Uduwanage appearing for the accused said the accused was sick and submitted a certificate to this effect.

The accused was also ordered to report to the Piliyandala police every first and third Sunday of a month. In this case the accused was earlier ordered to show cause why he should not be sentenced for giving false evidence and for Contempt of Court when the case was taken up at the High Court.

In this case a Russian trained medical officer S.P.Pathirage is indicted for the alleged murder of his wife - also a Russian trained medical officer- and her six-month old child, at Lady Gordon’s Drive in Kandy on or about September 17, 2005. The accused in the murder case is absconding and warrants had been issued by the former High Court Judge Nalin Perera and also by the present High Court Judge Ms.Kumudini Wickramasinghe.When the case was taken up State Counsel told Court that he had information that the accused doctor may surrender to Court.

The judge severely warned the sureties - the accused's mother Somalatha Samarasinghe and another to produce the accused in Court but they denied any knowledge of the whereabouts of the accused. One of the sureties was B.C.Silva who had made statements which according to Court amounts to contempt.

On the earlier date the accused’s mother told Court that when her son was in remand over the alleged murder his father had died. She said he had not known of the death. When he was granted bail and had come out of remand, he had learnt of the death. Thereafter he was not balanced in his mind and one day he had gone out of his home and not returned. She said every effort was being made to locate her son.

Inspector T.B.Wijekoon of the Special Crime Investigation Unit who led the investigation was also present in Court. Attorney Kithsiri Seneviratne appeared for the aggrieved party. State Counsel Chaminda Wickreme appeared for the prosecution. The case would be called again on January 17, 2008.