CDS REMANDED TILL DECEMBER 5
CDS says he was not informed by Senior DIG-CID, IGP or Defence Secretary Wijegunaratna HAD written to IGP that Nishantha is an LTTE supporter CID, Nishantha Silva make lengthy submissions Wijegunaratne had written and complained to IGP Pujith Jayasundera
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Ravindra Wijegunaratne, who appeared in the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court through his Counsel Anuja Premaratne PC for allegedly intimidating a witness and the investigation officer Nishantha Silva was remanded till December 5 by Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake yesterday.
During the investigations into the case of Former Navy officer and the first suspect in this case Naval Officer Prasad Hettiarachchi allegedly for abducting and making 11 civilians disappear, D.S Tissera of the CID appearing with OIC Nishantha Silva made a lengthy submission and said that CDS Wijegunaratne had attempted to shoot and abduct witness Laksiri Galagamage at the Naval Restaurant at Navy Headquarters.
They said the witness Laksiri had lodged a complaint with the Fort Police and had stated that there were threats on his life from the second suspect Ravindra Wijegunaratne of the CDS.
The detectives also asserted that suspect Wijegunaratne had written and complained to IGP Pujith Jayasundera that Investigating Officer Nishantha Silva was an LTTE supporter and the CDS had further inquired from IGP whether there were any complaints against the investigation officer over his awful behaviour.
They further said that the CDS had asked the IGP to transfer the investigating officer from CID to some other division.
However, the transfer was later cancelled because of the intervention of the CID and the Police Commission.
SP Tissera said the CID had asked the CDS to come to the CID on three occasions to make a statement to the CID over the alleged harbouring and aiding and abetting of the first suspect to abscond CID investigations.
However, the CDS did not come to the CID to make a statement even after several reminders were made.
The CID said the CDS had attempted to disrupt the investigations against the first suspect from the very inception of the investigations
Magistrate Dissanayake on perusing the submissions made by the CID, Fort Police over their investigations into the Complaint of witness Laksiri, the aggrieved parties and the suspect’s counsel, remanded the suspect till December 5.
Earlier, Colombo Fort Magistrate and the preceding Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne had issued warrants for the arrest of CDS Wijegunaratne for allegedly harbouring and aiding and abetting with Navy Sampath, to evade court where the magisterial inquiry into the disappearance of 11 youths was underway.
The CDS was twice, the latest being Tuesday 27, summoned to the CID to record a statement over the case but he failed to appear.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror on his failure to appear at the CID office, CDS Wijegunaratne said that he was not informed by the Senior DIG of the CID, IGP or the Defence Secretary to appear before the CID to give a statement.