Raviraj Murder: Court of Appeal orders CID to find whereabouts of three acquitted Naval officers

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

The Court of Appeal today issued an order directing the CID Director to provide information regarding the whereabouts of three navy intelligence officers who were acquitted and released from the Raviraj murder case.

 At a previous occasion, three navy intelligence officers were noticed to appear before Court regarding a revision petition filed by the wife of former TNA Jaffna district MP Nadaraja Raviraj.

When the revision petition came up before Court of Appeal Justice H.C.J. Madawala and Justice L.T.B. Dehideniya, the Court was informed that the notices had not been sent to the three navy officers because the authorities have still not been able to locate their whereabouts.

Accordingly, the CID Director was noticed to appear in Court on May 19 by Court of Appeal to submit a report regarding the three navy officers. 

The petitioner Sasikala Raviraj, the wife of slain MP filed a revision application seeking an order to set aside verdict of Colombo High Court dated December 23, 2016 to acquit and release all accused from the case.

On December 23, 2016, five accused including three navy intelligence officers, accused to have murdered the former TNA Jaffna district MP Nadaraja Raviraj were acquitted and released from the case after they were found not guilty by the jury trial.  

The verdict which was delivered by High Court Judge Manilal Waidyatilleke as per the unanimous decision reached by the jury, comes following one month long trial.

The jury’s decision was that the accused cannot be convicted based on the evidence in the case.

The petitioner stated that a trial by jury cannot be appointed in this case since three charges out of five have been levelled under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

The High Court allowed to proceed with the Raviraj murder trial in absentia of the three accused Palana Sami Suresh alias Sami, Sivakanthan Vivekanandan alias Charan and Fabian Royston Tusen who were evading Court since the beginning of investigations.

The indictments were filed against six accused Palana Sami Suresh alias Sami, Prasad Chandana Kumara alias Sampath, Gamini Seneviratne, Pradeep Chaminda alias Vajira, Sivakanthan Vivekanandan alias Charan and Fabian Royston Tusen on five counts, including committing themurder of former MP Nadaraja Raviraj and his security officer Lokuwella Murage Laksman under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Penal Code.

Three accused who were not present before Court, had been identified as ex-LTTE cadres affiliated to the Karuna faction. Wijeya Wickrema Manamperige Sanjaya Preethi Viraj was made State witness for the Raviraj murder trial.

Raviraj was shot dead near his residence at Manning Town in Narahenpita during the period between November 9, 2006 and November 10, 2006 when he was driving his vehicle along Martha Road.

The CID recovered the trishaw and the weapon alleged to have been used in the killing of the former Parliamentarian.