RaviRaj murder case : Wife files appeal against HC verdict

Jury’s decision was accused cannot be convicted based on evidence in case:

The wife of former TNA Jaffna district MP Nadaraja Raviraj yesterday filed an appeal in the Court of Appeal challenging the Colombo High Court’s judgment to release the five accused, including three Navy intelligence officers, in the Raviraj murder case.

The petitioner Sasikala Raviraj, wife of the slain MP filed this appeal seeking an order to set aside the verdict of the Colombo High Court dated December 23, 2016 to acquit and release all accused from the case.

On December 23, 2016, three Navy intelligence officers and two others, accused in the Raviraj murder, were acquitted and released from the case after they were found not guilty by jury trial.

The verdict which was delivered by High Court Judge Manilal Waidyatilleke as per the unanimous decision reached by the jury, following a one month long trial. The jury’s decision was that the accused cannot be convicted based on the evidence in the case.

The petitioner stated that a trial by jury cannot be accepted in this case since three charges out of five had been levelled under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

The High Court allowed to proceed with the Raviraj murder trial in absentia of the three accused Palana Sami Suresh alias Sami, Sivakanthan Vivekanandan alias Charan and Fabian Royston Toussaint who were evading Court since the initiation of investigations.

The indictments were filed against six accused Palana Sami Suresh alias Sami, Prasad Chandana Kumara alias Sampath, Gamini Seneviratne, Pradeep Chaminda alias Vajira, Sivakanthan Vivekanandan alias Charan and Fabian Royston Toussaint on five counts, including committing the murder of Raviraj and his security officer Lokuwella Murage Laksman under the provisions of the PTA and Penal Code.

Three accused who were not present before Court, had been identified as ex-LTTE cadres affiliated to the Karuna faction. Wijeya Wickrema Manamperige Sanjaya Preethi Viraj was made state witness in the Raviraj murder trial.

Raviraj was shot dead near his residence at Manning Town in Narahenpita between November 9, 2006 and November 10, 2006 when he was driving his vehicle along Martha Road. The CID recovered the trishaw and the weapon alleged to have been used in the killing of the former Parliamentarian.