The Jaffna Magistrate’s Court has granted permission for former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to provide evidence via video link in the ongoing inquiry into the disappearance of activists Lalith Weeraraj and Kugan Murugananthan.
The habeas corpus petition, filed by the families of the two activists who went missing after being abducted in Jaffna on December 10, 2011, has been before the courts for several years.
Rajapaksa, who served as Defence Secretary at the time of the alleged abduction, was summoned by the court on September 27, 2019, to testify in the case.
He had previously informed the Supreme Court of his willingness to appear before the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court. However, he later requested permission to give evidence through electronic audiovisual means, citing security-related concerns.
According to court records, Rajapaksa did not appear before court in December last year, with his legal representatives claiming there were threats to his life. The court subsequently noted that such concerns needed to be formally presented for consideration.
With the latest ruling permitting remote testimony, proceedings in the long-running inquiry into the disappearance of the two activists are expected to move forward.
