Sri Lanka extends ex-army chief jail term
- 12 years ago
The Sri Lankan High Court has sentenced former army commander Sarath Fonseka to three years in prison after finding him guilty of making false allegations against the president's brother.
He was found guilty on Friday of "spreading disaffection" over comments in a newspaper that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the country's defence secretary, had ordered the killing of Tamil Tiger leaders as they tried to surrender in May, 2009.
Fonseka says he was quoted out of context in the Sunday Leader article published on December 13 of that year.
He is currently serving a 30-month term after a court martial found him guilty of corruption in military procurements.
Al Jazeera's Minelle Fernandez reports from Colombo.
He was found guilty on Friday of "spreading disaffection" over comments in a newspaper that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the country's defence secretary, had ordered the killing of Tamil Tiger leaders as they tried to surrender in May, 2009.
Fonseka says he was quoted out of context in the Sunday Leader article published on December 13 of that year.
He is currently serving a 30-month term after a court martial found him guilty of corruption in military procurements.
Al Jazeera's Minelle Fernandez reports from Colombo.