Sri Lankan president approves 30-month rigorous jail term for Sarath Fonseka

Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa has approved a 30-month rigorous jail term given to ex-army chief and his political rival Sarath Fonseka by a military court on charges of corruption in defence deals, a move which may cut short his stint in Parliament as an MP.

Rajapaksa "has approved the recommendation and put a signature on the paper," Cabinet spokesperson and Mass Media and information minister Keheliya Rambukwella said today.

The president endorsed the sentence yesterday after returning from New York, where he attended the UN General Assembly session.

On September 17, the second court martial against 59-year-old Fonseka, the leader of the opposition Democratic national Alliance (DNA), found him guilty of all four counts in a case related to the procurement of weapons by the army in violation of the tender procedures and recommended that he be jailed for up to three years.

The verdict came a few weeks after Fonseka was stripped of all his ranks and pension by the first court martial that convicted him of the charge of dabbling in politics while in uniform.

In a statement, the Media Centre for National Security said Fonseka was charged "in accordance with provisions in the Army Act under section 109(e) on disgraceful conduct."

"... President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as the confirming authority, on 29 September 2010 confirmed the accused Fonseka be sentenced for 30 months rigorous imprisonment imposed by the court martial," it said.

The court martial had "probed the accused's involvement in purchasing of military equipment deviating from the tender procedure on four separate counts, while on active service," it said.

The recommendations had been sent to the president as it had to be approved by him as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

With the jail term, Fonseka is expected to lose his Parliament seat, which he won in the April general elections.

Reacting to the sentence given to Fonseka, DNA general secretary Vijitha Herath said the opposition alliance would organise a mass protest all over the country against the decision.

"This is president Mahinda Rajapaksa's political revenge against Sarath Fonseka. We will be going to various districts with a massive petition to be signed by as many people as possible to demand his release," Herath said.

"We will go before the Court of Appeal (COA) against this order. We have already gone before the COA regarding the recommendation of the first court martial. The hearing has been fixed for October 8. Another application against the recommendation of the second court martial will also be submitted," he said.

Fonseka, who successfully led the Sri Lankan military in the war against the LTTE which ended in May last year, was charged with favouring a company headed by his son-in-law, who is also an accused in a separate case filed in the high court on the same charges.

The former army chief was found guilty of the charges of purchase of night vision devices, generators, batteries and equipment for VHS direction finders from a firm with which his son-in-law was associated.

Fonseka, who earlier maintained that he was prepared to go to jail, had challenged incumbent Rajapaksa in the January presidential elections and lost badly. Thereafter, he accused the government of a political witch-hunt by framing charges against him.

The ex-general, who is in custody since his arrest in February, had termed his dishonourable discharge as a "joke".

Fonseka, who was once close to the President, fell out with him in the last days of the Eelam War IV.

The opposition has called the targeting of Fonseka by the Rajapaksa government as political witch-hunting.