Karunaratne vs Republic of Sri Lanka – sllr 2009 volume 2 page 213

In the case between Karunarathne (the appellant) and the Republic of Sri Lanka, the court addressed the issue of proper judicial evaluation of a dock statement in a bribery prosecution. It was determined that the trial judge’s approach to the dock statement did not violate legal principles, as the statement was considered for its capacity to either be believed or to raise a reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s case. The holding reaffirmed the principle that a dock statement, if believed, must be acted upon, and if it raises reasonable doubt, an acquittal should result; however, the absence of prejudice in the trial judge’s reasoning justified affirming the conviction. The decision relied on established standards governing the evidentiary value of a dock statement, emphasizing that the tri