DPA/Colombo
Sri Lankan opposition figure and former army chief Sarath Fonsenka, pictured, has been granted amnesty by newly-elected President Maithripala Sirisena, the presidency said yesterday.
In 2010, Fonsenka was jailed by former long-time president Mahinda Rajapakse on charges including corruption, and served more than two years in prison. Critics say he was charged for standing against Rajapakse in presidential elections.
Fonseka, who quit the military in 2009 after playing a key role in the defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels, was instrumental in Sirisena’s election victory on January 8.
