Former MP Udaya Gammanpila has alleged that the President shamelessly influenced the legal proceedings against him.
In an interview with a weekend newspaper, he made the following remarks:
“I am happy. At a time when I do not even have a parliamentary seat and Anura Kumara Dissanayake is in the presidency, the court has acquitted me. Otherwise, it could also be seen as a deal. Now he is in the presidency. That is why I do not even have any parliamentary seat in the opposition.
In fact, I think that Anura Kumara has nothing to do with filing this case. It is a false case filed by a certain minister of the Yahapalana government due to personal enmity with me.
The case, alleging that I prepared a forged document in 1997, was filed in 2016. They accused me of something 19 years later. According to the law, a case cannot be filed after twenty years. Then, the so-called forged document was never presented in court. There was no report from a handwriting expert. Moreover, the document was not signed by those who were supposed to have signed it, as presented in the evidence. Even if such a case falls into the hands of an enemy, one cannot write a verdict against me with self-respect. Because if the High Court gives such a verdict, we will definitely go to the Court of Appeal. Then we can go to the Supreme Court. In such a context, even if an absolute enemy is on the bench, there is no possibility of giving such a verdict.
The foreigner involved is now old. They say he is also mentally ill. Now, how can you obtain reliable evidence from such a person?
Look at the case. He came and was convicted of lying to the Australian Supreme Court. He was bankrupt in Australia, meaning he had no income. Such a person came with money and acted in a play. But the court confirmed that it was a drama.
You continued to accuse the JVP. The hypocrites in it are taking revenge. They are hateful. If they wanted to, they should have done something and imprisoned me, right?
In fact, they tried to imprison me in this case.
Who?
The President. He truly influenced my case in a shameful way.
Is this something you say responsibly?
Yes. I say it responsibly. That is what is being published in the newspaper. If I say something false, action can be taken. There have been four Presidents since this case was initiated. Those learned gentlemen did not say a word about this case. But the current President has exerted undue influence on the court by making statements about me on three occasions, claiming I had forged documents and defrauded an Australian national.
When did those three occasions occur?
The three occasions were speeches made by the President in Kurunegala, at a friendly meeting in Jaffna, and a speech he made in Parliament after becoming President.
What was the allegation?
After this case was filed, there were four Presidents in the country. The current President Anura Dissanayake spoke publicly about the case, unlike any other President. When a case is under judgment, no one should speak publicly about it. That is a matter included in the Standing Orders of Parliament. Under parliamentary privilege, a matter under judgment cannot be discussed in Parliament.
Are you making a very serious statement?
What he did by creating such a situation was to exert undue influence on the blindfolded goddess of justice. That is, not even a beggar should make a public statement about a matter that is under judgment. And yet, the President—who not only recommends judicial promotions but also serves as the disciplinary authority over High Court judges—speaking publicly about such a case constitutes undue influence on judges. The President failed to benefit from that pressure because this country still has independent, law-abiding judges.
Are you saying no other President has ever intervened like this?
No. I will say it again. There have been four Presidents since this case began. Except for this President, all of them behaved like gentlemen and did not speak publicly about the case.
