2008-10-08 12:47:20
The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered land and buildings at the Water's Edge Golf course to be returned to the Urban Development Authority (UDA), holding with the petitioners in the Water’s Edge case where former President Chandrika Kumaratunga is one of the respondents, court officials said.
The court also ordered Ms Kumaratunga to pay Rs 3 million as compensation to the state. The order to vacate the upmarket golf course was made to the Asia Pacific Golf Course Ltd.
Ronnie Peiris, a confidant of the former President and a respondent in this case, was ordered to pay Rs 2 million.
In this case, two retired public servants, S. Medis and Raja Senanayake filed a Fundamental Rights petition stating that the former President was instrumental in illegally transferring state lands meant for a 'public purpose' to a private company to build a golf course (now know as Water’s Edge) near the Parliament Complex at Battaramulla.
The petition said she misled the Cabinet into believing that foreign investment was coming in for the project when in reality no golf course was built by those who obtain permission to do so by the Cabinet.
