Local employee Garnier indicted for fabricating evidence

Swiss fake drama

 The Attorney General had yesterday (22) filed an indictment in the Colombo High Court against Swiss Embassy Staffer Garnier Bannister Francis (nee Siriyalatha Perera) on charges of fabricating false evidence of abduction by the CID officers, the AG’s Coordinating Officer State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne told The Island yesterday.

High profile accusations were made close on the heels of the last presidential election in the third week of Nov 2019. The Swiss government took up the alleged abduction with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa while immense pressure was brought on the government to allow the evacuation of the local employee and her family by an air ambulance already kept standby at the BIA.

President Gotabaya Rajapakasa refused permission for the operation. Investigations revealed that the alleged incident never took place.

The Swiss complained of alleged abduction immediately after accommodating controversial Inspector Nishantha Silva of the CID as a refugee there, He is now wanted by the Presidential Commission inquiring into ‘Political Victimization’ to look into alleged misdeeds committed by him, including framing people who stood against the previous government. (SF)