FORMER deputy prime minister Professor Biman Prasad will find out next Monday whether the High Court will allow his application to permanently halt criminal proceedings against him.
The application was called for the first time yesterday before Justice Thushara Rajasinghe, who set the matter for hearing this Friday.
The defence is urgently seeking a permanent stay of the proceedings in the Magistrate’s Court, along with an interim stay pending in the High Court’s determination.
Prof Prasad faces two charges for alleged non-compliance with statutory disclosure requirements in 2015, including providing false information and omitting a directorship from a statutory declaration.
His lawyer Richard Naidu clarified that the application invokes the High Court’s supervisory jurisdiction rather than an appeal, following issues surrounding material non-disclosure by FICAC.
Meanwhile, in the Magistrate’s Court, FICAC’s first witness, Registrar of Companies executive officer Manase Talemaipapalagi, is yet to complete giving evidence before Magistrate Yogesh Prasad.
The case will be called in the Magistrate’s Court tomorrow to update the court on the High Court’s directives.
