19 Dec 2014
Positive response on relief for SF: Ketagoda
2014-12-19 21:42:01


Parliamentarian Jayantha Ketagoda who was a member of the Democratic Party led by former army commander Sarath Fonseka said today that both President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa had responded positively to his request to grant relief to Fonseka.

“I had discussions with President Rajapaksa and the Defence Secretary on restoring Mr. Fonseka’s military rank and decorations including his pension. I also requested that the Rs.70 million frozen in his bank account be released to him. They said they will consider my requests positively after the poll. I believe, the release of Dhanuna Tillekaratne’s release today is an indication of that,” Mr. Ketagoda told media at today’s news briefing at the SLFP head office.



Mr. Ketagoda said he did not accept any perks or financial gratuities for his support to President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the only condition he set for the support was to give relief to his erstwhile former party Chief Sarath Fonseka.
He said he had no doubt that President Rajapaksa and the Defence Secretary would fulfil their pledge and provide relief to Mr. Fonseka after the Presidential election if President Rajapaksa was elected on January 8.
Mr. Ketagoda said after the discussions he realized that neither President Rajapaksa not the Defence Secretary held any grudge against Mr. Fonseka as thought by many and was of the view that Mr. Fonseka would be a free man with all his perks and military decorations restored in the New Year.
He added that his only objective of joining the UPFA in support of President Rajapaksa was to get relief for Mr. Fonseka.
http://www.dailymirror.lk/59361/positive-response-on-relief-for-sf-ketagoda


Dhanuna surrenders, granted bail
Colombo High Court Judge Irangani Perera this morning granted bail to former army Commander Sarath Fonseka’s son-in-law Dhanuna Thilakaratne on Rs 400,000 cash with two sureties for Rs 5 million on each of them in the HiCorp case..
The judge said the sureties should be his parents.

The accused was also restrained from going abroad. He was ordered to be present before the CID on the first Sundays of every month.

Counsel Niroshana Perera surrounding the accused in court said to the Judge that the accused had absconded court for his safety. He said the court could grant bail to the suspect in a public Property Act offence if the bail application was tendered under   exceptional circumstances.

He said the suspect had absconded court due to the prevailed situation in the country at that time. He said his client’s uncle Sarath Fonseka, was in remand for more than one and a half years as a result of his being contesting President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the past Presidential Election.

Thereafter Danuna Thilakaratne was accused to have defrauded the army by forwarding forged documents in the name of the locally registered British Borneo Defense Company of Australia. He said during the case Dhanuna absconded court but was   represented by lawyers in absentia..
The Counsel said Danuna’s mother and his grand mother were indicted for alleged offences and the Police had obtained warrants for the arrest of his client who was innocent.

He said the police had offered rewards for   his arrest and his client considering those had evaded court for his safety. Therefore Dhanuna’s bail application should be considered as an exceptional circumstance to grant bail.(TFT)
- See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/59335/danuna-surrenders-granted-bail#sthash.p6Wwrg4L.dpuf