Brig Keppetiwalana given bail
A court in Sri Lanka has ordered the police to release on bail the most senior serving military officer arrested on charges of conspiracy against the government.
Colombo Chief Magistrate Champa Janaki Rajaratne ordered the police to release Brig Duminda Keppetiwalana on bail, after the Attorney General (AG) said he had no objections. Brig. Keppetiwalana was among the army officers arrested on suspicion of conspiring to overthrow the government together with former military commander, Gen Sarath Fonseka. A state counsel said the AG does not object granting bail despite there is evidence that Brig Keppetiwalana has given combat training to a group outside the army in Ampara district. Lasantha murder In a written submission to the court, the AG earlier told the court that Brig Duminda Keppetiwalana was involved in the murder and the assassination attempt on another senior journalist, Upali Tennakoon. Mr. Wickramathunga, a strong critic of Mahinda Rajapaksa administration, was killed in a busy road in the Colombo district on 08 January, last year. Editor of Rivira Sinhala weekly, Upali Tennakoon, has left the country after he and his wife were attacked with iron rods and other weapons days later in Gampaha district. The magistrate also strongly criticised the police Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) on Friday, counsel for the accused Bandara Ekanakayake told BBC Sandeshaya. "The magistrate criticised the TID for failing to provide a report on the summary of evidence despite a previous court order to that effect," he said. The police were ordered to provide the report at the next hearing. The court has also decided to consider a bail application for another arrested army officer, Major Upali Amarasinghe on 05 May. At lease 53 military personnel, serving and retired officers, were arrested by the authorities after the 26 January presidential election on charges of conspiring to overthrow the government together with main opposition candidate, Gen (retd.) Sarath Fonseka. Many of them were later released by the courts.