REFUSES TO PLEAD GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY
Claims she wasn’t allowed full access to account details at NDB Bank
Former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake yesterday told the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court that she was not in a position to plead guilty or not guilty on the grounds that her lawyers were not allowed full access to the bank accounts based on which the the Bribery Commission had filed its case filed against
her.
During the hearing State Counsel Dilan Ratnayake informed Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya that the case was fixed to allow the prosecution to read out the charges and thereafter for Ms. Bandaranayaka to either plead guilty or not guilty.
Counsel Nalin Ladduwahetty PC appearing with a team of lawyers for Ms. Bandaranayaka informed the Magistrate that the NDB Bank had not allowed full access to the data on the two bank accounts of Ms. Bandaranayaka as ordered by Court and he said his client was not in a position to either plead guilty or not guilty without inspecting the data stored in the computers.
State Counsel Ratnayake said the date fixed was to read out the charges and therefore they had to proceed with the case. He said that was the procedure that had to be followed and the court could not veer away from that process.
Counsel Ladduwahetty objecting said inspecting the computer data in relation to the accounts was part and parcel of the case and there- fore the court had given an order allowing the suspect to inspect the data before pleading guilty or not guilty. The counsel said inspecting the computer data was a must before pleading to the charges.
Counsel Kalinga Indatissa watching the interests of the NDB Bank said the bank could not allow the suspect to inspect the entire data on the computers but could only allow the suspect to access certain data relating to the accounts.
After considering the submissions, Magistrate Pilapitiya directed the bank to submit a report on May 20 as to the data the bank could allow her lawyers to access. He fixed the trial for August 4.
A host of local and international lawyers were present as observers during the proceedings. Counsel Prashant Kumar, an advocate of the Supreme Court of India appearing for Lawasia thanked Magistrate Pilapitya for the impartial inquiry held and for allowing them to intervene in the case as observers.