The defence lawyers in the Raviraj murder trial at the Colombo High Court today cross examined the state witness Wijeya Wickrema Manamperige Sanjaya Preethi Viraj, and questioned the credibility of the witness given his past misdeeds.

They pointed out that the witness has seven cases filed in several courts aroung the island. He had plead guilty and had been sentenced to a 10 year suspended prison term by the Moneragala High Court for having 126 kg of ganja in possession.

He also faces two cases in Colombo and Embilipitiya High Courts for robberies of lorries transporting rice. Two more cases were filed against him for kidnapping two individuals for ransom. There was a case in Hambantota High Court as well.

Meanwhile, the defence also informed court that the witness had given a statement to the CID in 2008 on the Raviraj murder where he had said that the now accused were not involved in it. The witness accepted this and said that he made this statement since he was also involved in the act. The circumstances were different, he said.

He also said that it was the Karuna faction members who got him involved in the murder.

The defense argued that the credibility of the state witness was questionable. The defense further argued that he was lying to the court to implicate the accused intelligence personnel.

The state witness yesterday gave evidence saying that he drove the motorbike in which intelligence officer Gamini Senevirathna traveled to the place of the shooting. The intelligence officer committed the act and he drove the bike back to an intelligence office in Navam Mawatha, the witness also said.