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Sri Lanka's new president pardons former army commander

Xinhua, January 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Sri lankan newly elected president granted full pardon to former Army commander Sarath Fonseka here on Wednesday, the President's Office said in a short statement.

"Former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka was acquitted from all charges and given complete amnesty by President Maithripala Sirisena," the note read.

Fonseka, the former Commander of Sri Lanka's Army, played an integral role in ending the 26-year civil war in 2009, defeating the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Following the end of the war, he resigned from the military and decided to contest the 2010 presidential election against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, which he eventually lost.

After the loss, Fonseka was arrested on Feb. 8, 2010, and was announced that he would be court-martialed for committing " military offences."

He was found guilty of corrupt military supply deals and sentenced to three years in prison.

After serving more than two years in prison, Fonseka was released on May 21, 2012 but his civic rights was not restored.

In November last year, he threw his support behind the opposition coalition backing Sirisena, which swept into power on Jan. 9, ending Rajapaksa's decade-long rule.

The pardon clears the way for Fonseka to return as a major force in local politics. Endi