Attorney General v. Silvan Silva – sllr 1981 volume 1 page 364

In The Attorney-General v. W. A. Silvan Silva, the Supreme Court addressed whether the respondent had committed perjury as a witness under Section 188 of the Penal Code, in the context of summary proceedings outlined in Section 161(2) and Section 41(2) of the Administration of Justice Law No. 44 of 1973. The issue centered on the respondent’s denial, as a postal peon, of taking part in packing and sealing money bags, contrary to corroborated testimony and documentary records. It was held that summary perjury proceedings require proof “beyond reasonable doubt” and that equivalent language in judicial reasoning can satisfy this standard, without recourse to specific formulaic phrases. The Court found that the High Court had applied the correct legal standards and procedural safeguards, leadi