Leader of the Democratic Party and former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka has filed a lawsuit against his former Media Secretary Sanjeewa Samarasinghe over defamation.

Former Army Commander has demanded Rs. 500 million from his former Media Secretary as compensation for alleged defamation, a spokesman of the Democratic Party told Asian Mirror.

Addressing a media conference in Colombo just before the Western and Southern Provincial Council elections, Sanjeewa Samarasinghe said the former Army Commander was a “tyrant”. He also alleged that Fonseka was running the Democratic Party in an “dictatorial manner”, with little or no regard for internal democracy.

Speaking to Asian Mirror, Ananda Manawadu, General Secretary of the Democratic Party said, certain statements made by Samarasinghe were detrimental to the image of his party leader, Sarath Fonseka. Manawadu also added that “an influential group” was behind Samarasinghe.

He said Samarasinghe was expelled from the Democratic Party over fraudulent practices.