Phone call between SL and Swiss Foreign Ministers

Colombo (News 1st) - According to the Ministry of Foreign Relations Minister Dinesh Gunawardena received a telephone call from the Foreign Minister of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis this evening (December 18)  regarding the status of the Sri Lankan employee of the Swiss Embassy in Colombo, who was arrested. Minister Gunawardene had explained that she is presently in custody on reasonable suspicion of committing offences under Sections 120 and 190 of the Penal Code, that could justify a criminal charge of disaffection towards the government, and fabricating false evidence for the purpose of being used in any stage of a judicial proceeding, in her alleged abduction claim. A release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Relations noted that the Swiss Minister had requested that all possible cooperation be extended to expedite the process, taking into account the good bilateral relations between the two countries. Minister Gunawardena had said the Government of Sri Lanka will do whatever it can according to the law of the land and re-affirmed that the employee in question had been granted all possible facilities and that all her rights have been protected. Referring to the Swiss Foreign Ministry statement, Foreign Minister Gunawardena emphasized that Sri Lanka has fully complied with national law and international judicial standards and that any assertion to the contrary was factually inaccurate.