Thuppahige Nuwan Sanjeewa vs The Hon. Attorney General – CA HCC/0196/2020-2022

In the case between the Accused-Appellant (charged with trafficking and possession of heroin) and the Hon. Attorney General (Attorney General’s Department, Colombo-12), the court addressed whether evidential deficiencies, inconsistencies in witness accounts, chain-of-custody procedures, and the introduction of alleged bad character evidence undermined the validity of the trial verdict. It was held that the High Court of Colombo’s procedures in convicting and sentencing the accused were legally sufficient. The case reaffirmed the principle that a trial court’s findings will not be disturbed on appeal unless there is a manifest error in the evaluation of the evidence or infringement of procedural safeguards. The decision relied on a comprehensive assessment of evidentiary procedures, stressi