RPD Commissioner gives evidence at Shashi Weerawansa’s Case

The case filed against Shashi Weerawansa, wife of parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa over an incident of fraudulently obtained two passports - including a diplomatic passport by submitting forged documents was taken up for trial yesterday before Colombo Chief Magistrate Lal Ranasinghe Bandara.

Registration of Persons Department’s Legal Officer Indika Kumara had given evidence before the Chief Magistrate.

Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Dileepa Peiris questioned the inquiry which had been carried out by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over obtaining two national ID’S by the suspect from the department.

While producing the evidence, Indika Kumara said that the suspect had submitted three application forms in 2010 to get a new NIC and also an official letter from former Department of Registration of Persons Commissioner Jagath Wijeweera.

He said that the letter had noted that former Minister Wimal Weerawansa’s wife had lost all her documents when they shifted to their house in Colombo 7 and relevant documents will be submitted later by the applicant. And also the former Commissioner mentioned in the letter to issue a NIC to her immediately.

The DSG questioned about the year of registration of the application which was submitted in 2010.

Answering the question, the witness said that since the applicant had availed the one-day service facility from the department, the application should have been transferred to the department’s archive located in Nugegoda, on the day that the applicant had made use of the service. He said that the letter had noted that former Minister Wimal Weerawansa’s wife had lost all her documents when they shifted to their house in Colombo 7

The department’s archive had received the application of the suspect in 2015, and the year of the registration was stated as 2015 on the application, but the suspect had availed the service in 2010, Indika Kumara said.

Subsequently, the Magistrate fixed the trial for July 31 and issued a summons on the seventh witness to appear in Courts.