Royal Park convict had left country prior to travel ban Court order, SC informed

• Immigration Controller informs Court Jayamaha had left the country
• Court however extended travel ban till 1 June
• Case fixed for consideration for 29 May 2020
• Petition amended to name former President Sirisena as a respondent  

The convict in the Royal Park murder case, Jude Shramantha Jayamaha, who received a presidential pardon, had left the country before a Court order prohibiting him for travelling overseas, the Supreme Court was informed yesterday.

The Controller General of Immigration and Emigration informed the Supreme Court by affidavit that Jayamaha, on whom the Court slapped an overseas travel ban on 29 November, had left the country prior to that date.

This came to light when the SC took up for hearing the Fundamental Rights petition filed by Women and Media Collective.

The bench comprised Justices Priyantha Jayawardena, Vijith Malalgoda and Gamini Amarasekera.

The Court extend the travel ban till 1 June and fixed 29 May 2020 for consideration of the petition.

The Petitioners are seeking a suspension of the presidential pardon granted to Jayamaha as well as an order to issue guidelines governing the grant of presidential pardon by the Head of State in terms of Article 34 (1) of the Constitution.

The Petitioners have named the Attorney General, Don Shramantha Jude Anthony Jayamaha, the Commissioner General of Prisons, the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, the Acting Inspector General of Police, the Justice Minister and the President of Bar Association of Sri Lanka as respondents. The amended petition was filed in Court naming former President Maithripala Sirisena also respondent.

Jude Anthony Jayamaha was serving a life sentence for committing the murder of 19-year-old Yvonne Jonsson in July 2015. He was granted a pardon by former President Maithripala Sirisena last month, which has drawn criticism from both the victim’s family as well as civil society at large.