DailyMirror
Colombo High Court Judge Deepali Wijesundera has issued summons on former Deputy Minister of Defence General Anuruddha Ratwatte to appear in court to read out the judgement given by the Court of Appeal to proceed with the trial in the case filed by the Bribery Commission against him.
In this case General Ratwatte is charged for having concealed certain sums of money and acquisition of properties, which the Bribery Commission alleged that he could not have earned and/or acquired by his means of income.
The Court of Appeal in July had allowed the appeal made by the Bribery Commission to set aside the High Court Order of November 30, 2007 when the former Deputy Minister was discharged on a technicality.
On that occasion when the case was taken up at the High Court on November 30, 2007 the defence counsel raised preliminary objection that the court did not have the power to proceed with the case.
Accepting the objections raised by the defence the High Court on that occasion discharged General Ratwatte.
Following the High Court order, the Bribery Commission appealed to the Court of Appeal which in July ordered to proceed with the case.
The Bribery Commission had framed charges that General Anuruddha Ratwatte could not have in his capacity as Deputy Defence Minister earned cash amounting to Rs. 34 million and properties worth over a billion rupees between the period of March 31, 1997 and August 31, 2002.