Former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake was issued summons by the Colombo High Court to appear before court on October 19 over the preparation of a forged document.

The Attorney General on September 9 filed indictment against Attanayake on three counts regarding the preparation of the forged document.

He is charged under the Presidential Elections Act on allegedly displaying a forged document to the media, thereby affecting the campaign of the then candidate Maithripala Sirisena.

Furthermore, he is charged for the preparation of a forged document under Section 454 of the Penal Code.

In addition, Attanayake is also charged for alleged propagation of racial and religious hatred under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Act No 56 of 2007.

Tissa Attanayake defected to the UPFA in December 2014 during the 2015 January Presidential Election campaign. He displayed a document to the media which allegedly displayed an agreement between the then common candidate of the opposition Maithripala Sirisena and the then Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe.