Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe once again hit out at Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka recently, calling him 'mentally retarded' in public.

The incident occurred at a recent live TV programme on Sirasa TV, in which Fonseka took part.

The Justice Minister called the studio during the live programme, apparently to explain his version of several allegations made by Fonseka.

Rajapakshe claimed that Fonseka developed a grudge against him for not releasing Rs 88.8 million which the state had confiscated. This money was earned by Fonseka through commissions when he was Army Commander, Rajapakshe alleged.

The Justice Minister said that Fonseka had allegedly intimidated the Attorney General, also demanding the release of the money.

Furthermore, Rajapakshe claimed that Fonseka was demanding the arrest of former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa over the Avant-Garde controversy since he has a personal grudge against Rajapaksa. Fonseka's demand to arrest Rajapaksa cannot be justified legally, he claimed.