Hirunika’s appeal against abduction conviction to be heard on August 6

An appeal filed by former parliamentarian Hirunika Premachandra challenging her conviction and three-year prison sentence over a 2015 abduction case, has been fixed for argument before the Court of Appeal.

On July 22, 2024, Hirunika Premachandra was granted bail by the Colombo High Court pending the determination of her appeal against the conviction and sentence.

 When the matter was taken up before a two-judge bench of the Court of Appeal comprising Justices P. Kumaratnam and Pradeep Hettiarachchi, the appeal was fixed for argument on August 6.

Hirunika Premachandra filed this appeal before the Court of Appeal challenging the conviction and three-year sentence imposed by the Colombo High Court. She was found guilty on 18 counts, including conspiring and aiding in the abduction, threatening, assaulting and intimidating victim Amila Priyankara after the abduction in Dematagoda.

The complainant Amila Priyankara alleged that he was abducted and assaulted by a group of people who came in a black Defender to Dematagoda on December 21, 2015.