‘White Van’ claim: charge sheet against Swiss Embassy worker to be amended

The Colombo High Court yesterday (03) permitted the Attorney General to amend the charge sheet filed against Garnia Bannister Francis, a local employee of the Swiss Embassy in Colombo whose claim of being abducted by government ‘agents’ in Nov. 2019 was proved false.

The Court order was issued by Colombo High Court Judge Namal Balalle when the case was taken up in Court.

Judge Balalle approved the Attorney General’s request to amend the charge sheet filed against Francis, decided that the case would be heard on June 15.

Francis made the allegations in the wake of the last Presidential election won by Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

On 16 Dec., 2019, Francis was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court, on the directions of the Attorney General, after she was named a suspect for causing disaffection against the government and fabricating false evidence to be used in a future judicial proceeding.

She was released on bail, under two personal bonds of Rs. 500,000 each, on 30 December, 2019.

Francis was accused of filing a false complaint at the Cinnamon Gardens Police, in 2019, claiming that she had been abducted in Colombo, and sexually harassed, on 25 November by an armed group, who arrived in a white van.