An extradition order on former Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga will be delivered when the case is taken up for hearing in March, an authoritative source at the Attorney General’s Department told Sunday Observer. Weeratunga’s extradition case is scheduled to be taken up at a Federal Court of UAE on March 18.
The sources said in any extradition case, the country concerned, in this case Sri Lanka, cannot be re-presented by a counsel. The Prosecutor General of UAE is prosecuting on behalf of Sri Lanka.”It is the norm even here,” he said.
“On two previous occasions Weeratunga prevented the order being pronounced by seeking further time to tender additional documents,” he said adding that there is a possibility of Weeratunga making a similar move at the next hearing on March 18.
When asked if any representative from the Foreign Ministry will be present at the hearing, “The Sri Lanka’s head of mission in the UAE is expected to be present in court” the sources said.
Sri Lankan Government successfully filed an extradition case against Weeratunga last year despite not having a ratified mutual extradition treaty between the two countries.
An earlier application for his deportation was turned down since he possessed a Sri Lankan passport with a valid UAE visa at the time of his detention.
The ex-diplomat who is a close relative of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is wanted in Sri Lanka in connection with a massive fraud involving the purchase of Ukrainian built MiG fighter jets for Sri Lanka’s Air Force in 2006.