The Underworld In Piliyandala

By Rajan Hoole -August 2, 2014

Rajan Hoole

Political Murders, the Commissions and the Unfinished Task – 9

The witness Susantha Dias Dahanayake who was in CID custody about the end of the year 1990 and early ’91 told the Commission that Tarzan Weerasinghe (TW), the main accomplice to the murder, was also then in CID custody. This was denied by SSP Chandra Jayawardene. The Commission found Dahanayake a credible witness because his testimony about TW was supported by three other detainees. The Commission was on good grounds for disregarding the CID on this matter, because their story about the disappearance of the assassin Lionel Ranasinghe from CID custody in September 1989 was shown to lack any substance by police investigators for the Commission.

Lokuge

Apart from this Dahanayake testified to TW having told him that Deputy Minister Gamini Lokuge’s weapon – a T 56 used by his security detail – was the murder weapon. On hearing about this, Lokuge applied to appear before the Commission. On the appointed day, Dahanayake was present and so was Lokuge. But then, the lawyer for the latter told the Commission that his client neither wished to cross examine Dahanayake nor make a statement.

The Commission accepted that Lokuge’s weapon had been used in the assassination, but also that there was nothing to implicate Lokuge of complicity. Is the inference justified? Is it not something out-on-a-limb with no connecting links? It is after all hearsay evidence whose alleged source is not among the living. Moreover, it is possible that Lokuge did not want matters pertaining to his dealings, unconnected with the assassination, being given a public exposure as lawyers are bound to do, and he was within his rights in opting out.

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