Kumaratunga faces land deal suit

Land given to Ms Kumaratunga is next to the parliament

Former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga is facing legal action over land given to her when she left office.

The court of appeal said it would rule on whether the land deal and other "perks" awarded to Mrs Kumaratunga by the cabinet were unconstitutional.

It is the first time a former Sri Lankan president has faced such action.

Ms Kumaratunga's spokesman said the land, in a suburb of the capital, had been granted to her by cabinet. He said she had been informed of the law suit.

Prime location

Mrs Kumaratunga has been allocated one and half acres of prime land in the suburb of Madiwela, next to the Sri Lankan parliament.

The petition against the former president was brought by Victor Ivan, editor of Sinhala-language weekly Ravaya Sinhala.

He says the land deal and the award of security personnel to Mrs Kumaratunga are in breach of the 1986 Presidential Privileges act.

While in office, Sri Lankan presidents have constitutional immunity, but according to a Supreme Court ruling immunity does not apply to former presidents.

Mrs Kumaratunga's spokesman, Piyadasa Dissanayake, told the BBC Sinhala Service that he could not say what action Mrs Kumaratunga would take.

He added Mrs Kumaratunga had already accepted the deeds to the land.