Editor of the Sunday Leader, Frederica Janz, is one of the twenty witnesses summoned to give evidence before the Sri Lankan High Court Trial-At-Bar which is to begin on September 27 into the ‘white flag’ case against former commander of the Sri Lanka Army Sarath Fonseka. Major General Shavendra Silva and Sri Lanka’s Representative to the UN in Geneva Kshenuka Seneviratne are among the other witnesses noticed to appear in court on September 27.
General (retd.) Sarath Fonseka, currently a parliamentarian of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), is accused for giving an interview to the Sunday Leader Editor alleging that the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had ordered Major General Shavendra de Silva to shoot all LTTE members coming forward with white flag to surrender on the final day of the battle in Mu’l’livaaykkaal in May 2009.
When the case was taken up for further inquiry Thursday the Deputy Solicitor General Navaratne Banda informed court that the indictment and three Compact Discs (CDs) which they will play in Court will be produced as evidence. He requested the court to inform the Registrar of the Magistrate’s Court, Colombo to hand over the notes that are in their custody which was made by Frederica Janz.
Counsel for General Fonseka, Nalin Laduwahetty who is appearing with 32 others informed Court that the accused is an elected Member of Parliament and therefore his parliamentary privileges should be maintained.
Court informed the officers responsible for the security of the accused that appropriate steps should be taken to safeguard his privileges.
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