Lawyers group raises concerns over recent court verdicts

COLOMBO (News1st): A lawyers group has raised concerns over the release of government allies from court cases in recent days. "Several recent incidents have raised concerns on the implementation of the law," Senaka Perera, a lawyer at the Lawyers Forum for the People movement said. Manisha Chandrasena, another lawyer in the movement highlighted several court cases that have stirred controversy and drawn condemnation recently. "On the 19th of November, Anusha Palpita and Lalith Weeratunga were acquitted by the court. In the evening, Johnston Fernando’s sealed liquor brewery was allowed to reopen," he observed. Chandrasena pointed out that indictments filed against minister Janaka Bandara were dismissed while a former chairman of the Lak Pohora fertilizer company was granted bail the next day. "On the 23rd, Basil Rajapaksa’s foreign travel ban was lifted," he added. The lawyer pointed out that an ally of the government was appointed to the Public Services Commission on November 24, the day on which the Appeal Court quashed the summons issued on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa over an abduction case. He, however, stressed that he is not suggesting that the court is delivering the wrong verdicts. "...there is a legal concept that not only must justice be done; it must also be seen to be done,” Chandrasena stressed. "If allies of the Rajapaksa’s are appointed to independent commissions, it will not be independent."