The Court of Appeal today (31) acquitted three persons, including Sri Lanka People’s Front MP Primalal Jayasekara alias Choka Malli, who were sentenced to death in connection with a murder case.
The order was issued when the case was taken up before a bench of the Court of Appeal comprising Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and R. Gurusinghe today (31).
He was convicted to a murder by shooting a person who was in the preparations of an election rally during 2015 Presidential elections held on January 2015 held in Kahawatta. two other who convicted were former Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councilor Nilantha Jayakody and former Kahawatta Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Vajira Dharshana. The Attorney General had filed a case against them in the Ratnapura High Court.
Following a lengthy trial, the Ratnapura High Court sentenced the three accused, including MP Primalal Jayasekara, to death on July 31, 2020.
The three defendants, including MP Primalal Jayasekara, had appealed to the Court of Appeal to quash the death sentence imposed on them by the Ratnapura High Court Judge.
The order was issued by the Court of Appeal after accepting the appeals.
Accordingly, MP Primalal Jayasekara, former Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councilor Nilantha Jayakody and former Chairman of the Kahawatta Pradeshiya Sabha Vajira Dharshana were acquitted and released.
Announcing the verdict, Judge of the Court of Appeal Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne stated that there was no evidence that the defendants had firearms in their hands at the time of the incident and that they had fired. Accordingly, the charges against the accused have not been proved beyond a reasonable doubt before the Ratnapura High Court, the judge said.
Accordingly, the judges stated that the judgment of the Ratnapura High Court convicting the accused was null and void and ordered that the three accused be acquitted and released accordingly.
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