High Court rejects first accused objections in RADA fraud case

Saturday, 24 February 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By T. Farook Thajudeen

Colombo High Court Judge Vikum Kaluarachchi rejected the objections raised by the Counsel for the accused appearing for former MP Tiran Alles in the Rs. 200 million Reconstruction and Development Agency (RADA) fraud case who had claimed that the 15 days’ period given to the defence to examine the computers was insufficient.

Claiming that as the time given to examine the computers was insufficient, Counsel Nalin Ladduwahetty appearing for the first accused said that it is contravening Section 7 of the evidence Ordinance and moved to declare the listed evidence of the computers as null and void.

Defence Counsel Ladduwahetty had objected for listing the computer evidence by the prosecution, claiming that the prosecution had failed to provide the original documents of the case to the defence.

He further claimed that the 15 days’ period given to the defence to examine the computers was insufficient and the defence had yet to be given access to the computerised documents.

The Attorney General had indicted the four accused - former Chairman of RADA Tiran Alles, former North and Eastern Provinces LTTE Financial Head Emil Kanthan, former RADA Chief Operating Officer (COO) Saliya Wickramasuriya and Dr. Jayantha Dias Samarasinghe - over the controversial RADA fraud.

The second accused, Emil Kanthan, is currently evading courts. The Attorney General had filed indictment in the High Court on charges of committing a Rs. 200 million fraud that had allegedly taken place at RADA in 2006, against former MP Tiran Alles, former North and Eastern Provinces LTTE Financial Head Emil Kanthan, former Chief Operating Officer (COO) of RADA Saliya Wickramasuriya and Dr. Jayantha Dias Samarasinghe.

Senior Counsel Nalinda Indatissa appeared for Dr. Jayantha Dias Samarasinghe.

The case will be called again on 23 May.