The Court of Appeal has issued a stay order preventing the hearing of the Avant Garde case against former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and eight other defendants at the Colombo Magistrate’s Court.
The judge bench consisting Justices Achala Wengappuli and Arjuna Obeysekara also granted leave to proceed with the revision petition filed by the former Defence Secretary against the case being heard at the magistrate’s court.
Accordingly the stay order was issued effective until a final verdict is given for the revision petition filed with the Appeals Court.
When the petition was taken up today (4), President’s Counsel Romesh de Silva appearing on behalf of Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that the manner in which the case was heard was in violation of the Bribery Act.
He therefore requested that the court issue injunction against the hearing of the case at the Magistrate’s Court.
The court issued the relevant stay order while ordering the Bribery Commission to present any objections on August 26.
The case was postponed until September 28.
