Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal has fixed a date for the appeal case of a Sri Lankan politician and 3 others who were convicted of murdering a British aid worker and raping his Russian girlfriend at a holiday resort in 2011, Adaderana reported.
Sampath Vidanapathirana, the former chairman of Tangalle Prathesa Sabai and a close associate of the former Sri Lanka president Mahinda Rajapaksa, was convicted of the murder after the British aid worker Khuram Shaikh was shot and stabbed whilst on holiday in southern Sri Lankan on Christmas Day.
Mr Vidanapathirana was handed a 20-year jail sentence by the Colombo High Court in July 2014. His appeal will take place on October 15, 2018.
The case has faced considerable delays with repeated accusations of political interference and witness intimidation. The accused was initially released and reinstated to his political post before being re-arrested following intense international pressure over the murder.
British Prime Minister David Cameron had cited the case as an example of Colombo’s failure to deliver justice and Prince Charles had reportedly taken a private interest in the case.
The British High Commission in Colombo said in a statement,
"We hope that this will bring some closure for his family and friends who have faced a long and difficult fight for justice.”
The lawyer representing Mr Vidanapathirana had reportedly complained to the court about the lack of care to his client, who had two heart attacks whilst imprisoned.