The Criminal Investigation Department has revealed that even though a travel ban was imposed on former Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna deputy minister Premalal Jayasekara by the courts last Friday, he had already left the country.
The Supreme Court, which ordered Premalal Jayasekara and three others to appear in court on October 21, also imposed a travel ban on them last Friday. The Criminal Investigation Department says that Premalal Jayasekara had reportedly left for Thailand on August 31.
The Supreme Court imposed this travel ban while hearing an appeal against the verdict in a case related to a shooting incident that occurred in Kahawatta during a public rally of presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena in 2015.
The Ratnapura High Court, while pronouncing the verdict in the murder case, sentenced Premalal Jayasekara, former Provincial Councilor Nilantha Jayasinghe and former Chairman of the Kahawatta Pradeshiya Sabha Vajira Darshana de Silva to death.
However, they were later acquitted and released by the Court of Appeal, which considered their appeal against that decision. The Supreme Court issued this order when the appeal petition filed by the wife of Shantha Dodangoda, who died in the incident, was taken up for hearing against that decision.
The appeal was taken up before a bench of Supreme Court judges comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, Achala Vengappuli and Gihan Kulatunga.