The privately-run Island newspaper quoted top defence official Gotabhaya Rajapakse, who is also the president's younger brother, as saying Fonseka should directly make a plea to President Mahinda Rajapakse.
Fonseka began a 30-month jail term yesterday after the court martial which found him guilty of violating procurement procedures while he was the head of the army.
"The president was ready for a re-evaluation of the recommendation of the court martial on the basis of a plea by Fonseka," the newspaper said.
Fonseka, who fell out with Rajapakse over who should take credit for defeating the Tamil Tigers in May last year and unsuccessfully tried to unseat him in a January election, has said he will not appeal for clemency.
However, Fonseka's Democratic National Alliance told reporters on Thursday that they will appeal to a civilian court against the court martial.
Fonseka was hailed as a hero after soldiers under his command crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) last year. Tamil separatist leaders were killed in a no-holds-barred offensive led by Fonseka.
The Tigers' defeat ended nearly 40 years of separatist conflict in Sri Lanka, but rights groups say thousands of civilians were also killed in the final onslaught.
The conviction of Fonseka on Sept 17 came after he was stripped of his rank and pension following another court martial that found him guilty last month of dabbling in politics while in uniform.
Fonseka was arrested two weeks after his defeat. However, he won a seat in parliamentary elections in April, allowing him to attend the legislature.
The ex-army chief has said the government is seeking revenge for his decision to stand against the president and wants to keep him from speaking in parliament, which is controlled by Rajapakse loyalists.
- AFP
