Sri Lanka ex-army chief convicted by military court

COLOMBO - A military court has recommended the dishonorable discharge of former army commander General Sarath Fonseka after finding him guilty of interfering in politics while serving in the military, an official said Friday.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is also defence minister and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, has yet to decide whether to accept the court’s recommendation.

The court martial was concluded without any representation by the defence lawyers.

Fonseka’s lawyer Sunil Watagala said he had not been informed of the sentence and would lodge an appeal against it.

The ex-army chief will lose his rank, pension, security detail, housing facility and land provided by the government, if Rajapaksa ratifies the findings of the court martial.

The general led the army against the rebels of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, defeating them in May last year after a 26-year conflict. He then fell out with Rajapaksa, launching a failed bid for the presidency against him in January.

He went on to win a seat in parliament, but was detained pending the court martial proceedings. He is also accused of irregularities in tender procedures while head of the army.