Sooriyarachchi refused bail for third time

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 April 2007, 11:43 GMT]
The Kaduwela Magistrate Tuesday refused the bail application submitted on behalf of Mr.Sripathi Sooriyarachchi for the third time and ordered further two weeks' remand, legal sources in Colombo said. Mr.Sooriayarachchi was sacked from the non-cabinet minister post. He is a parliamentarian from the Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP), main constituent of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government.

He was arrested following his disclosure that some leaders of the SLFP had entered into a secret deal with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the 2005 presidential election.

He was produced in court on a charge under the State Property Act that he had allegedly misused a state vehicle after being dismissed from the cabinet. Since then he is in remand.

Mr.Sooriayarachchi was produced in court Tuesday. President Counsel Tilak Marapone, former Defence Minister in the then UNP government with a team of lawyers submitted the third bail application on behalf of Mr.Sooriayarachchi.

The defence pleaded with the court to order bail for the suspect under special circumstance, legal sources said.

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