Ex-Lankan prez Rajapaksa to record statement in scribe's abduction case

Sri Lanka's former president Mahinda Rajapaksa will be questioned by the police in connection with a probe into the alleged abduction and assault of a journalist 10 years ago, a top police official said today.

Keith Noyahr, a journalist with The Nation newspaper, was abducted by unknown men in May 2008. He was released next day allegedly after being tortured.

Following his disappearance, it is said that Rajapaksa's intervention was sought to save Noyahr's life.

"A team of crime investigation officers will meet Rajapaksa on August 17 (Friday) to record his statement," police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said.

Rajapaksa was the president at the time.

The police has recorded statements from the parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and Rajapaksa's brother Gotabhaya, who was a senior defense ministry bureaucrat at the time.

Jayasuriya, the then minister, had reportedly alerted Rajapaksa on the abduction.

Six senior military officials, including the then Director of Military Intelligence, were arrested in connection with Noyahr's abduction, but later, they were released on bail.

Noyahr is believed to be living in Australia after fleeing the country with his family after the incident.