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Suspects to be indicted over murder of TNA MP

The Colombo Additional Magistrate has ruled that there is sufficient evidence to indict seven suspects to Sri Lanka’s High Court, for the 2006 murder of Jaffna MP Nadarajah Raviraj.

Magistrate Thilina Gamage has called for all the suspects to be fingerprinted and the case to be forwarded to the High Court as the prosecution concluded its submissions today, reports Daily Mirror.

The prosecution has also reportedly sought the assistance of Interpol to find two of the men who are believed to be out of the country. One of the men is a former Sri Lankan policeman and is suspected to be hiding in Australia.

The Tamil National Alliance MP was assassinated in Colombo in November 2006, at a time when the capital was heavily fortified by Sri Lanka's military. The government was accused of being behind the attacks by the TNA, diaspora organisations and the UNP. The US led international criticism of the government and urged it to conduct an investigation.

Then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa ordered an inquiry and two suspects, Nalaka Mathagaweera and Aruna Shantha Ediriweera, were arrested in 2007. Mr Rajapaksa requested assistance from Britain’s Scotland Yard, who sent a team to work with the Criminal Investigation Department, who looked at evidence. Nothing came of the inquiry

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