Bring action against Gota for perverting the course of justice

Law abiding citizen and a lawyer

(February 12, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) In a interview given The Hindu published on 11th February 2010, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has alleged that the retired Army Chief, Sarath Fonseka, is guilty of charges of treason, military coup and of being involved in the disappearance of a few journalists. He has said that “In fact, I know for sure. He was definitely responsible for 5 or 6 cases [of disappearances] where media people were involved,” he told The Hindu newspaper. “We have a clue whom he has used. We are very convinced”.

These charges are of vary serious nature and it makes the Gota himself liable for Perversion of the course of justice which is a criminal offence as his deliberate inaction has prevented justice being served on Sarath Fonseka. Perverting the course of justice is an offence at common law as well where it carries a theoretical maximum sentence of life imprisonment although no sentence of more than 10 years has been handed down in the past one hundred years.