Sri Lanka's ex-army chief Sarath Fonseka jailed for three years

A Sri Lankan court on Friday jailed former army chief Sarath Fonseka for three years for alleging that the president's brother had ordered the execution of surrendering Tamil rebels.

AFP/Lakruwan Wanniarachchi

Fonseka, who ran against President Mahinda Rajapakse in elections in 2010, is
already serving a 30-month prison term after a court martial convicted him on
corruption charges.

In a 2-1 split verdict, the three-judge Colombo High Court bench found Fonseka guilty of violating emergency regulations by "spreading rumours and causing public disorder" in an interview with a weekly newspaper.

He had alleged that the president's brother, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, had ordered field commanders to kill Tamil rebels, even though they were carrying white flags, in the final stages of Sri Lanka's separatist conflict in May 2009.

The defence secretary firmly denied the allegation while giving evidence during the 16-month trial.

Fonseka, who also testified in his own defence, insisted that the newspaper had used his comments out of context.

"I don't accept this guilty verdict ... This conviction happens under a dictatorship," Fonseka told the court.

"People will rise against this judgement and only then will the independence of the judiciary be restored," he added.

The charges had carried a maximum prison term of up to 20 years, but the three-year sentence imposed specified "rigorous imprisonment" which means Fonseka will be expected to perform manual labour.

Security was tight around the Colombo High Court, with hundreds of armed police guarding the complex.

Fonseka supporters had staged demonstrations during previous hearings and a large crowd turned out Friday to cheer the former army chief as he arrived for the verdict.

Fonseka's lawyer said he would appeal against the verdict.