Cardinal and public hoodwinked by CID: Hejaaz’s Counsel

The Counsel appearing for Hejaaz Hizbullah Attorney at Law, yesterday said that his Eminence the Cardinal and the public were lied to by the Criminal Investigations Department and the Police.

“His Eminence the Cardinal and the public including the victims were lied to throughout. They wanted a scapegoat and they fabricated evidence against Mr. Hizbullah,” the Fort Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage was told.

His Eminence the Cardinal and the public including the victims were lied to throughout. They wanted a scapegoat and they fabricated evidence against Mr. Hizbullah

The case was called yesterday before the Fort Magistrates Court. The Criminal Investigations Department informed court that the Terrorist Investigations Range were investigating funds which had been received from a Qatar Charity.

Counsel showing documents relating to the Qatar Charities partnership with the United Nations and with the Sri Lankan government, said that there was nothing in the reports pertaining to Mr. Hizbullah receiving funds, and that Qatar Charity was in fact a legitimate entity.

The Magistrate questioned the CID with regard to steps taken in the order made on 1st July, where the Magistrate ordered an investigation into how confessions made to him confidentially were leaked to the media.

The Magistrate questioned the defence as to if the same persons who wrote the statements leaked them to the media. “If not how did it appear in the news on the very same night and splashed across newspapers the next morning”, Counsel asked.

The Magistrate also ordered the TID to submit a report on the progress of the investigation on October 28. Farman Cassim PC with Hafeel Fareez and Dhanushan Kaneshayogan appeared for Hizbullah.