Request to amend plaint against Mahinda allowed

FRIDAY, 11 MARCH 2016

Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) was permitted by the Colombo Commercial High Court Judge Shiran Gunaratne yesterday (10th) to file an amended plaint against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and six others in connection with defaulting Rs.142 million owed to the SLTB. The buses were used to transport people to election rallies during the 2015-Presidential Election campaign. The hearing was put off to be heard on 23rd June.

This was in response to a request by the SLTB asking to be allowed to amend the plaint as the SLTB wanted to amend several names of defendants cited in the plaint.

The SLTB had named seven UPFA 20015- presidential election committee members, including former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), UPFA former General Secretary Susil Premajayantha, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), SLFP former General Secretary Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and election committee member Gamini Senarath as respondents.

According to the plaintiff the UPFA had hired buses from the SLTB for the January 8th Presidential Election rallies but had failed to settle the payments after obtaining the services.