Lanka asks Maldives "to accelerate" alleged sniper's trial
Lahiru Madhushanka was arrested on October 25, 2015, along with former VP Adeeb
Lahiru Madhushanka--
Following a complaint by the family of Sri Lankan national, Lahiru Madhushanka- arrested and charged with plotting to assassinate President Abdulla Yameen- Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry has requested Maldivian authorities “to accelerate” his court proceedings.
Lanka’s news site, Colombo Page on Saturday, reported that the wife of the alleged sniper lodged complaint at the Ministry, requesting it “to take measure to get her husband released.”
Accused of being a sniper, who was allegedly sent to assassinate President Yameen, Madhushanka was arrested on October 24, 2015. While the Criminal Court had granted the request to keep him in custody until the trial concludes, hearings for his trial are being held behind closed doors.
His wife, Chandani Madurangi Jayathunga noted that her husband had not been produced to Court “in five months.”
According to Colombo Page, Director of Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CAHM Wijeratne had said that the Ministry “is in constant attention to the Madushanka's case and the Foreign Minister and the Foreign Secretary have been in discussion with the Maldivian authorities.”
He noted that Sri Lanka “cannot intervene in a judicial activity in a foreign country,” adding that the government had requested to “accelerate the court proceedings.”
Noting that Sri Lanka's ambassador in the Maldives “is in attention on the judicial process,” Colombo Page reported that Madhushanka’s arrest has “affected the relations between the Maldives and Sri Lanka.”
In addition to Madhushanka, former vice president Ahmed Adeeb, Fazeel Hameed and Is’haaq Hussain have been charged with plotting to assassinate the President.
Prosecutors argued that Adeeb had conspired with Fazeel to hire a sniper to assassinate the President.
- Adeeb has been sentenced to a total of 33 years, having been sentenced to 15 years for terror charges, 10 years for owning firearms and eight years, after being convicted of aiding and abetting embezzlement.
