Can happen later this week according to rumours
There was intense speculation yesterday that General Sarath Fonseka, the former Army Commander now serving a term of imprisonment, may be released in the next few days but there was no official confirmation that this would in fact be so.
"There had been indications that Fonseka whose bail application to the Supreme Court will be taken up later this month may be released as early as this week," one well informed source said.
However, observers and analysts said that such speculation had previously occurred several times in recent months – during the November anniversary of the President’s election, January 1, the Sinhala and Hindu New Year period and Wesak.
Fonseka is currently under treatment at the Nawaloka Hospital for a lung condition having won a court order that this facility should be made available to him.
In terms of his sentence, his term of imprisonment runs till July 2013.
Democratic National Alliance MP, Tiran Alles has been in contact with President Mahinda Rajapakse about securing the former Army Commander’s release but it was unclear whether any assurances had been received.
Fonseka has steadfastly refused to seek a pardon from the president as he has been advised to do adopting the position that he had done no wrong to seek a pardon.
In October 2010 Fonseka was sentenced to 30 months jail by a court martial that tried him on the Hicorp case.He was also sentenced to three years jail by a three-judge High Court bench on the White Flag case and this sentence will run till July 2013. One judge dissented and acquitted him.
Fonseka has applied for bail pending completion of his appeals in the various cases that he had been convicted and this application is due to come up before the Supreme Court later this month.
The former Army Commander and his secretary, Capt. Senaka Haripriya de Silva have been indicted before the High Court for harbouring army deserters and trial in this case is proceeding.
There have been some astrological prognostications about beneficial configurations favouring the former commander.
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