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Obeysekera land fraud case: Expert asks defence not to harass him
By Teles Anandappa
Indian handwriting expert Professor P. Chandra Sekeran asked defence counsel to refrain from harassing and embarrassing him while being cross examined in the case relating to fraudulent documents submitted to claim a portion of the late Fredrick Obeysekera’s property.

While cross examining Prof. Chandra Sekeran, defence counsel M.L.M Ameen, produced certain documents pertaining to the professor’s qualifications and experience in his field and inquired whether these documents regarding his curriculum vitae could be taken as correct.

The professor replied that these documents were photo copies taken from a booklet printed in Singapore and confirmed that they were correct, subject to some corrections. Counsel then asked Prof. Sekeran whether he was at any time trained in any one of the three main laborataries in India and if not, why he had not undergone training.

Prof. Sekeran said that with his status he had no necessity to be trained in those labs adding that those labs had only very basic equipment.

He said the training in those labs was only pertaining to scrutinising handwriting whereas forensic science dealt with more modern and complicated equipment and careful study with more detailed methods and forms to examine the handwriting contents of documents in totality of the document.

He said he has appeared in cases in Malaysia, recommended by the government of India, and no defence counsel had ever questioned his integrity and knowledge. Further hearing was listed for tomorrow.

At the outset the name of former Bar Association of Sri Lanka secretary Bandula Wijesinghe was deleted from the case as he passed away last week.
The case is continuing against former Military Spokesman Colonel Sumedha Perera and former caretaker of the land Sarath Wijewardene.

Meanwhile at the hearing on Friday, the wife of the late Bandula Wijesinghe created a scene outside the Hultsdorp court. Mrs. Chathurika Wijesinghe who was accompanied by her daughter accosted Chandana Perera, junior to President’s Counsel Desmond Fernando and threatened and accused him of killing her husband. She also used abusive language on Prof. Chandra Sekeran.

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