The Colombo High Court today ordered to issue notices to President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to appear in court on July 24 to give evidence in a case filed against former MP Tissa Attanayake.
Colombo High Court Judge Vikum Kaluarachchi issued the order when the case was taken up for hearing today.
Though the President and the Prime Minister have already been summoned to give evidence today, the State Counsel informed the court that their respective secretariats have informed him that it was difficult for the President and the Premier to appear in court due to official duties.
Therefore, the State Counsel asked the court to give another date for the trial.
Judge Vikum Kaluarachchi pointed out that the defendant would be prejudiced if the two state witnesses continued to be absent and it is not possible for him to remain as a defendant forever.
Accordingly, the case was postponed to July 24 and the judge ordered to re-issue summons to the president and the prime minister asking them to appear before the court on that day.
The Attorney General on 9th September 2016 filed charges against Attanayake in the Colombo High Court on producing a document with forged signatures of the then common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena and the then opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe during the 2015 presidential election campaign.
The document was alleged to be a secret agreement between the UNP National Leader and the common opposition candidate.
Attanayake was charged under the Presidential Elections Act for displaying the forged document to the media, thereby affecting the candidate Sirisena’s presidential campaign.
