The Appeal Court is due to rule on a Writ Application this Friday to obtain an interim order to quash the citizenship issued to Presidental aspirant Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Presidential Candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa is on a cliff-edge as to whether the courts will disallow him to use his National Identity Card and Sri Lankan Passport, virtually making him stateless, a Colombo based web portal Republic Next has reported.
That will make him ineligible to contest the Presidency, the report added.
The Appeal Court this afternoon fixed October 2, 3 and 4 to hear a petition by two Civil society activists who are asking the Courts to quash the Dual Citizenship Certificate and NIC issued to Gotabaya as there is no file pertaining to these matters in the Department of Immigration or the Defense Ministry. There is also no record of Gotabaya receiving Sri Lanka citizenship, the petitioners say and want the court to order the Controller of Immigration to cease recognizing him as a citizen.
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| Rajapaksa brothers |
The petitioners, Gamini Viyangoda and Prof. Chandragupta Thenuwara, point out that Gotabaya is intending to contest the upcoming presidential election and they are seeking interim relief from court due to “the grave and irreparable harm and damage that would be caused to them and the citizens of Sri Lanka (including the threat to the country’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and national security) if a non-citizen is permitted to contest for the presidency.”
The petitioners noted that the dual citizenship certificate had been signed by Mahinda Rajapaksa stating that he was acting “for the Secretary to the Ministry of Defense” at a time when he had been elected President and the Cabinet stood dissolved and no Secretaries had been appointed.
They called this certificate fraudulent.
Rajapaksa Vs. Rajapakse
Meanwhile, during the press conference held on behalf of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Parliamentarian Udaya Gammanpila has reaffirmed the certificates submitted by Mr Rajapaksa were authentic.
However, two certificates have been issued under different surnames which is raising serious issues over the authentication of the actual person obtaining them. Here are the copies of the certificates circulating on public domain;
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| Click on the images to enlarge |
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| Click on the images to enlarge |
Apparently; Viyangoda and Thenuwara had initially complained to the police after reports appeared in the newspapers alleging that there were discrepancies regarding the awarding of Dual Citizenship to Gotabaya and the subsequent award of full citizenship, NIC and Sri Lankan Passport.
The CID which investigated the report found that the Immigration Department and other officials were not forthcoming with information and reported as such to the Magistrate.
It was based on the “B” report filed by the CID that the two petitioners filed the Writ Application before the Appeal Court.
At the Appeal Court today the President Yasantha Kodagoda and Judge Arjuna Obeyesekera fixed the dates for the hearing and ordered the relevant departments to furnish documentation to the Attorneys concerned.
The full bench that will hear the petition will comprise President of the CA Justice Kodagoda, Justice Obeyesekere and Justice Mahinda Samayawardhena.
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