Rajapaksa 'pardons' Arumugam Thondaman

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 August 2008, 06:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa has pardoned Minister Arumugam Thondaman, from the suspended jail sentence and fine imposed by Nuwara Eliya Magistrate Tuesday for the contempt of court. The Nuwara Eliya Magistrate sentenced Thondaman Arumugam with two others on Tuesday morning and the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa pardoned only Mr. Thondaman on Tuesday evening, media sources said.

Mahinda Rajapaksa using the power conferred on him under Section 34 of the constitution pardoned Thondaman who is the General Secretary of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), a constituent of the ruling UPFA, stated a press release issued Wednesday by the SL Presidential Secretariat.

The Nuwara Eliya Magistrate imposed three months simple imprisonment suspended for a period of six months and one thousand rupee fine on three persons, Arumugan Thondaman, Muthu Sivalingam and V.Radhakrishnan for violating a court order delivered in a trade union dispute case in the year 2003. Nuwara Magistrate said they had committed contempt of court by violating the order.

Arumugan Thondaman is a cabinet minister in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government of President Rajapakse. Muthu Sivalingam is a deputy minister and the President of the CWC. V.Radhakrishnan is provincial councilor and a member of the CWC.

Chronology: