Request made for Attanayake's acquital as Sirisena, Ranil fail to attend forged document case for fifth time

President's Counsel Kalinga Indratissa made a request  to have his client - Former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake, acquitted in the case where the latter was accused of presenting a document with  forged signatures , when the case was taken up for hearing before the Colombo High Court.

PC Indiratissa had made this request as  President Sirisena and the Prime Minister Wickremesinghe – the chief witnesses in the case had failed to appear before court despite summons being issued for the fifth time. It was only the sixth witness Sumudu Mahil Jayaweera who attended today’s proceedings.

Accordingly, it was decided to hear the case again on February 12.

Mr Attanayake has been accused of presenting a document with forged signatures of the then common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena and the then opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe during the 2015 presidential election campaign.

The case against Mr. Attanayake was filed by the Attorney General who claimed that the offence committed on December 31, 2014 was a punishable one.

He had also claimed that the document released by the Mr Attanayake to the media could have disrupted the results of the Presidential polls in 2015.

Charges were filed against the former UNP General Secretary for violating the Penal Code and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.