Sri Lanka Supreme Court issues arrest warrant for Premalal Jayasekara

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has issued an open warrant for the arrest of former State Minister Premalal Jayasekara after he failed to appear in court. Jayasekara is accused in connection with a murder that occurred during a 2015 presidential election campaign rally in Kahawatta.

The incident involved a fatal shooting during a rally for then-presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena, which resulted in the death of Shantha Dodamgoda. While the Ratnapura High Court previously sentenced Jayasekara and two others to death in 2020, the Court of Appeal later acquitted them in 2022. The current Supreme Court proceedings follow an appeal filed by the aggrieved party challenging that acquittal.

During the hearing, Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara informed the court that Jayasekara is currently abroad. The court has directed the Director of the Criminal Investigation Department to issue the warrant and instructed the Inspector General of Police to execute it expeditiously. Two other defendants who appeared in court were ordered to be remanded.