Shashi Weerawansa, wife of former minister Wimal Weerawansa, has been ordered released on anticipatory bail by the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court while she appeals her conviction in the forged passport case to the Supreme Court.
Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama made the order on Thursday when the case was called for the pronouncement of his decision. Weerawansa was present in court, according to reporters for both Ada Derana and Hiru News.
The conviction being appealed
The Colombo Magistrate’s Court convicted her in 2022 under the Immigrants and Emigrants Act for unlawfully obtaining a passport, sentencing her to two years’ imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs. 100,000.
The Chief Magistrate told the court that an appeal she filed against that sentence had since been rejected by the Colombo High Court.
Her counsel informed the court that she had gone on to challenge the High Court’s decision before the Supreme Court, and that the appeal had been listed for hearing next month. Counsel asked that she be released on anticipatory bail until it is taken up.
The Chief Magistrate granted the application on the basis that she had exercised her right to appeal to the Supreme Court within the 42-day period allowed, making the release subject to the Supreme Court being informed. The case was re-fixed for September 27.
Neither outlet reported any objection from the prosecution to the application, or which judges will hear the Supreme Court appeal.
Both Ada Derana and Hiru News described the order as one for anticipatory bail. Her husband, a former cabinet minister and leader of the National Freedom Front, is not a party to this case.
