Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa today appointed a three-member court martial panel to try detained ex-army chief Sarath Fonseka on treason charges and the proceedings against him would be launched on March 16.
The fifty-nine-year-old Fonseka would be brought before the court martial on March 16 and a panel of three major generals has been appointed for the purpose by Rajapaksa, who is also the commander-in-chief of armed forces, military spokesman Maj Gen Prasad Samarasinghe told reporters.
He said proceedings will also be held on March 17 in connection with seven charges, including those relating to treason, against the former top General accused of plotting against the Rajapaksa government.
Other charges against Fonseka included engaging in politics while in service and procuring arms violating regulations during the LTTE war that ended in May last year.
The summary of evidence over charges against Fonseka, made in compliance with provisions of the army act, was completed and handed over to the army chief lieutenant general Jagath Jayasuriya recently.
It was recorded by Maj Gen Daya Rathnayaka and was completed within a period of 22 days from February 13 to March 6, according to an army communique.
This was done after obtaining evidence from 35 individuals comprising 22 army personnel, 7 police officers and 6 civilians, it said.
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