**A Sri Lankan court of appeal has suspended a court martial against ex-army chief and defeated presidential candidate Gen Sarath Fonseka.**Gen Fonseka unsuccessfully challenged President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the January presidential poll and was arrested soon after.
He faces charges of allegedly engaging in politics while still in the army.
The appeal court says a decision has to be made on the validity of the military hearing’s legal proceedings.
Gen Fonseka’s supporters say the decision by the court to suspend proceedings until 21 May is a big success for him.
The general still faces a second court martial on charges of corruption over military procurement.
The general denies all the accusations, saying they are a politically motivated attempt to silence him.
Gen Fonseka fell out with the president after the defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels last May.
Another appeal will be submitted to suspend the second court martial, fellow member of parliament Tiran Alles told the AFP news agency.This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
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