Photos allegedly showing former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa together with Asad Moulana were presented before the Court of Appeal on Monday during the hearing of Rajapaksa’s writ petition seeking an order preventing his arrest over investigations linked to the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks.
Rajapaksa filed the petition after claiming there was a move to arrest him in connection with the ongoing investigations into allegations made by Moulana regarding the Easter Sunday attacks. Through the petition, he is seeking an order preventing law enforcement authorities from arresting him, arguing that any such arrest would be unlawful and violate his fundamental rights.
Appearing for the respondents, Deputy Solicitor General Suharshi Herath told court that Rajapaksa’s petition stated he did not know Moulana. However, she said a statement recorded by the Criminal Investigation Department from a suspect identified as Iniyabharathi alleged that he had met Rajapaksa at his Mirihana residence in 2019, where Moulana and several others were present.
The Deputy Solicitor General said photographs taken at Rajapaksa’s residence were submitted to court, claiming they showed Rajapaksa and Moulana together. She argued that this contradicted Rajapaksa’s claim that he did not know Moulana and demonstrated that he had failed to make a full and truthful disclosure to court.
She also argued that the petition primarily raised issues relating to alleged violations of fundamental rights, including personal liberty and freedom of movement, and therefore should be referred to the Supreme Court, which has jurisdiction to hear such matters under the Constitution.
Appearing for Rajapaksa, President’s Counsel Romesh de Silva argued that the photographs did not establish any criminal wrongdoing. He told court that Rajapaksa, as a politician and former Defence Secretary, had been photographed with numerous public figures over the years, including religious leaders and politicians, and that the mere presence of Moulana in one photograph could not be treated as evidence of involvement in any offence.
De Silva further argued that multiple commissions appointed to investigate the Easter Sunday attacks, including those established before and after Moulana’s public allegations, had not implicated Rajapaksa. He maintained that there were no reasonable grounds to justify an arrest.
After hearing submissions from both sides, the Court of Appeal adjourned the case until July 9 for further submissions by the Deputy Solicitor General. (Newswire)