Colombo: Jailed former Sri Lankan Army chief
Sarath Fonseka was Friday sentenced to spend three more years in prison after a court convicted him for alleging that the powerful brother of the country's President had ordered the execution of surrendering Tamil rebels.
Fonseka, a member of Parliament, was found guilty by a
split 2-1 decision by the High Court in the 'white flag' case,
for violating emergency regulations by "spreading rumours and
causing public disorder" in an interview with a weekly
newspaper.
Fonseka, a war hero, who ran against President Mahinda
Rajapaksa in the 2010 elections is already serving a 30-month
sentence after a court marshal convicted him on corruption
charges.
The former army chief was found guilty by the High Court
for an interview in the 'Sunday Leader' alleging that defence
secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had ordered the military
commander Shavendra Silva to kill the white flag waving
members of the LTTE who wanted to surrender before the final
battle between the Tamil tigers and the army in May 2009.
The charge carried a maximum prison term of 20 years.
Fonseka, a retired four-star General, insisted in his
testimony that the paper had used his comments out of context,
but the court sentenced him to three year rigorous
imprisonment, which means he is expected to perform manual
labour.
PTI
First Published: Friday, November 18, 2011, 19:02