After serving the Sri Lankan Army for nearly four decades, including presiding over the last phase of the civil war that saw the elimination of LTTE, Gen Sarath Fonseka is likely to appear tomorrow before a court martial panel that will try him on treason charges.
After a week of flip-flops, the Fonseka camp today indicated that the former Army chief, who is currently under Army custody, may appear before the three-member panel tomorrow.
"Sarath Fonseka is likely to attend the court martial proceedings tomorrow though his team of lawyers are yet to take a final decision on the matter," general secretary of Fonseka-led Democratic National Alliance Vijitha Herath told PTI today.
DNA spokesman Anura Kumara Dissanayake had yesterday termed the scheduled proceedings as "illegal court martial".
Fonseka had last week said that he was inclined in appearing before the panel as it consisted his juniors.
A team of Fonseka's lawyers will also attend the Court Martial proceedings scheduled for tomorrow and Wednesday.
Fonseka, 59, was arrested by the army last month after he lost the January 26 Presidential election to incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa by a huge margin. He was accused of planning a coup against the government while in service.
The court-martial proceedings will be based on seven charges, including engaging in politics while in uniform. Other charges against Fonseka include procuring arms violating regulations during the civil war that ended in May last year.
Legal assistance for Fonseka is being rendered by former chief justice of Supreme Court Sarath N Silva though he may not be a part of his legal team, Herath said.
The legal team is also expected to raise the question of the legality of the tribunal comprising officers junior in rank to Fonseka, sources said.
Fonseka joined the Sri Lanka Army in 1970 and rose through the ranks to become the Army chief in 2005 immediately after Rajapaksa became the president.
He led the Eelam War-IV, the last phase of the 30-year-old civil war, that culminated in the death of LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran in May, 2009.
He was then made the chief of defence staff, a ceremonial post, which he quit in November last year to take a plunge in politics.
Comments