The Colombo High Court has served an indictment on eight accused individuals, including the Captain of the fire-ravaged container ship MV X-Press Pearl, for causing damage to Sri Lanka's oceanic environment.
The indictment was served after both the High Court and Court of Appeal dismissed preliminary objections raised by the accused against the charges.
The eight accused had filed revision applications in the Court of Appeal challenging the Colombo High Court's decision to reject their preliminary objections. However, the Court of Appeal decided to dismiss the revision application without issuing notices to the Attorney General.
The Attorney General filed the indictment against the eight accused in the Colombo High Court, charging them with eight counts under section 26(a) of the Marine Pollution Prevention Act No. 35 of 2008.
These charges stem from the destruction caused to the coastal areas of Sri Lanka's territorial waters between May 19, 2021, and June 02, 2021, due to marine pollution caused by the MV X-Press Pearl.
The charges specifically target Tyutkalo Vitalyon, the Master of the ship, Sea Consortium Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, its directors, and the General Manager for their role in the destruction of coastal areas within Sri Lanka's territorial waters.
Deputy Solicitor General Madhawa Tennakoon represented the Attorney General in these legal proceedings.
