Colombo district UNF Parliamentarian Hirunika Premachandra and eight others were yesterday granted bail by the Colombo High Court for their alleged involvement in the abduction of a youth using a Defender belonging to MP Hirunika Premachandra on December 21, 2015. High Court Judge Padmini N.Ranawaka Gunatilleka ordered that each accused be released on a cash bail of Rs.50,000 with two sureties of Rs.500,000.
The High Court Judge further issued an order preventing all accused from leaving the country and they were ordered to surrender their passports to the Court custody.
While ordering to release the suspects on bail, the High Court Judge observed that the Court would consider imposing a lenient sentence against the accused, if they are willing to plead guilty to the charges at the outset.
The High Court Judge further observed that bail could be canceled and accused would be remanded until the conclusion of the trial, if they were found interfering with the witnesses in the case at anytime.
Meanwhile, the officers attached to the High Court police post was ordered to obtain the fingerprints marks of all accused.
Subsequently, the indictments were served on the accused and case was fixed for trial on January 10 and 11.Apart from the abduction charges, the nine accused have been charged on 29 counts by the Attorney General including threatening, assaulting and intimidating the victim Amila Priyankara after being abducted in Dematagoda.
The accused who were indicted are; Hirunika Premachandra, Kelum Niranjana, Kasun Malinda, Ruwan Pushpakumara, Mohammed Rizwan, Pasindu Sanjeewa, P.S.Abeysiriwardena and Jeganadacal. The eight other accused were the security officers and supporters of MP Hirunika Premachandra. 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. Senior State Counsel Janaka Bandara appeared for the Attorney General. Senior Defence Counsel Anura Seneviratne appeared for the accused.
