The Colombo High Court Trial-at Bar yesterday concluded the hearing of the case filed against Avant-Garde Chairman Nissanka Yapa Senadhipathi and Seven others over the Avant Garde floating armoury case.
The case was taken up before the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar bench comprising High Court Judges Adithya Patabendi, Manjula Thilakarathne and Mahen Weeramana.
Following the conclusion of the hearing in this case, the three-day oral submissions ended yesterday and the bench had fixed May 21 for the pronouncement of their decision over the case and prosecution and defense were ordered to produce their written submission on that day. The Attorney General had filed indictments comprising 7,573 charges in connection with the Avant-Garde arms trafficking case against Avant-Garde Chairman Nissanka Yapa Senadhipathi and the other 12 defendants.
Previously, the Attorney General has amended the indictment filed against Avant Garde Chairman Nissanka Yapa Senadhipathi and seven others over the High profile Avant Garde floating armory case. According to the previous indictment, the Attorney General submitted that the accused have committed punishable offences under Sections 22(1) and 22(3) of the Fire Arms Ordinance and Section 113B, 102, 189 and 190 of the Penal Code for illegally operating merchant vessel ship MV Avant Garde carrying a stock of firearms and explosives including 816 unlicensed automatic firearms and 202,935 rounds of ammunition on the high seas off Galle.
The Attorney General maintained that there is sufficient evidence to prove that the all accused had committed punishable offences under the Firearms Ordinance and Explosives Ordinance on or around October 6, 2015. The Attorney General further maintained that three accused - Saman Dissanayake, P.D.Premachandra and Nissanka Senadhipathi - could be charged for fabricating false evidence under Section 189 and 190 of the Penal Code.
