Cabinet Spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said verdicts in several high-profile corruption cases involving politicians could be delivered in the near future, naming more than a dozen accused whose trials are pending.
Speaking at the post-Cabinet briefing at the Government Information Department on Tuesday evening, Jayatissa listed Wimal Weerawansa, Piyankara Jayaratne, Rajitha Senaratne, Johnston Fernando, Sajin Vaas Gunawardena, Chamara Sampath, Sarana Gunawardena, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, Mervyn Silva, Namal Rajapaksa, Shasheendra Rajapaksa, Champika Ranawaka, Keheliya Rambukwella and Yoshitha Rajapaksa as politicians whose cases are advancing.
He acknowledged that some hearings are slipping. “Some cases can be postponed. Sarana Gunawardena’s case was scheduled for April 30 but was postponed to May 25,” he said, urging the public to track trial dates. He also said he believed contradictory judgments were unlikely given the open-court evidence.
The minister linked the pace of proceedings to the establishment of a three-judge High Court bench. “When trial dates fall close together, cases move faster. A three-judge High Court has been established. When proceedings happen quickly, I think it will be a satisfaction to the general public who expect action against corruption,” he said, adding that supporters of all parties want convictions where guilt is established.
The remarks come as the Cabraal Greek bond trial-at-bar continues and other pending matters — including the Mahinda Rajapaksa Airbus summons and the Yoshitha Rajapaksa money laundering case — sit on near-term court calendars. Jayatissa’s framing also lands amid an opposition push for a parliamentary debate on judicial independence following the President’s May Day comments.
Source: Newswire.
