The murder trial of a British aid worker Khuram Shaikh, killed whilst on holiday in Southern Sri Lanka in 2011, may collapse due to political interference from Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
With the trial having undergone several weeks, it has been reported that the presiding High Court judge, Rohini Walgama, has been nominated for a promotion to the Appeal Courts by the Sri Lankan President. If she accepts the promotion, the trial would collapse and have to be started from scratch.
British MP Simon Danczuk, who has campaigned for the killers to be brought to justice said,
“We are very concerned about political interference in this trial and we have been for the last 2 years, whilst we’ve been trying to get the case to court. It looks as though President Rajapapksa in appointing this judge would be moving him away from what could have been a successful trial.”
The chief suspects in the case, including a politician with close links to the Rajapaksa family, are also accused of raping Shakih’s girlfriend during the brutal attack at a tourist resort. However, the suspect’s political connections are thought to have lead to a lack of progress in obtaining justice.
Danczuk went on to tell ITV News,
“Now that we’re here, some of the suspects are very closely associated with the President and it looks as though there is interference and that gives us concern.”