Kussiyage Susantha Priyajanaka Costa vs. Hon. Attorney General – CA CASE NO. HCC/344/19-2022

In the case between the Hon. Attorney General, Attorney General’s Department, Colombo 12 and Kussiyage Susantha Priyajanaka Costa, the court addressed the issue of whether discrepancies in witness testimony and the rejection of the defence evidence rendered the conviction for possession and trafficking of heroin unsustainable. It was held that the identified inconsistencies among prosecution witnesses did not undermine the reliability of the overall evidence against the accused-appellant, and the rejection of the defence case was justified. The principle reaffirmed is that minor inconsistencies in human testimony do not necessarily vitiate a conviction if the totality of evidence remains credible. The decision relied on established case law regarding credibility of witnesses and standards