Sri Lanka, Sept. 30 -- Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday told the Colombo Magistrate's Court that allegations of abductions and disappearances of individuals allegedly committed during his tenure as Defence Secretary were completely false and that they had been made entirely with the intention of gaining political advantage and damaging the reputation of the country.

Rajapaksa made these remarks while giving evidence via Zoom from the Colombo Magistrate's Court in connection with a case being heard before the Jaffna Magistrate's Court over the disappearance of social activists Lalith Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganandhan on December 10, 2011.

The complaint was filed before the Jaffna Magistrate's Court by relatives of the missin...