19 November 2022 12:00 am
By T. Farook Thajudeen
An Attorney- at-law pleads court to postpone the trial of former Minister Wimal Weerawansa’s wife Sashi Weerawansa’s case for tendering a forged birth certificate to the Immigration and Emigration Department to obtain a diplomatic passport.
Attorney–at–law, Buddhika Chandrasekera appearing on behalf of Mrs.Weerawansa during the trial made this pleading to Colombo Chief Magistrate Nandana Amarasinghe and told the Magistrate that the Counsel who defended the accused had withdrawn from the case and to postpone the trial for another date.
Consequently, the Magistrate fixed the trial for February 24, 2023, and warned prosecution witness No 1 to appear before Court on that date.
The Magistrate further issued summons on prosecution witness No 10 to appear before court on February 24, 2023.
The case had been filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) against Shashi Weerawansa for tendering a forged Birth certificate to the Immigration and Emigration Department to obtain a diplomatic passport by violating the Immigration and Emigration Act.
Mrs. Weerawansa had obtained a diplomatic passport through the one-day service. by using a forged birth certificate. According to a passport that she already possessed she was born in 1967. However, the diplomatic passport she had obtained had stated that she was born in 1971.
Meanwhile, her children’s birth certificates had stated that she was born in 1977. Accordingly, the prosecution accused Mrs. Weerawansa of purposely submitting forged documents to obtain the diplomatic passport.
Senior Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris PC appeared for the Attorney General during the case.