Rajapakses’ contract killers (ex) DIG Vaas Gunawardena and son sentenced to death along with four others !

(Lanka-e-News -28.Nov.2015, 9.00 PM) Ex DIG Vaas Gunawardena the ‘licensed underworld killer’ who did a number of contract  killings for cash rewards (blood money) during the Rajapakses’  most brutal and corrupt era, for and on behalf of the Rajapakses was sentenced by High court to death on one case of murder of the many.

This murder relates to the killing of Mohomed Shyam ,a footwear businessman of Bambalapitiya by shooting on 23 rd May 2013 after abducting him on the 22nd of May.The victim was abducted at Colombo and murdered at Dompe by shooting to his head and chest.

It was inside information division of Lanka e news always first with the news and best with the views that exposed this gruesome murder by Vaas Gunawardena for blood money amounting to  Rs. 3 million collected beforehand.This was reported by Lanka e news on 1st June 2013 ,when we  also revealed that Vaas Gunawardena has similarly committed 14 such murders. 

The Rajapakse regime a byword for lawlessness , however conducted the investigation pertaining only to this murder .This invetsigations was necessitated because  a relative of murdered Shyam was a close friend of Mahinda Rajapakse . All the other murders committed by Vaas on the instructions of Gotabaya were never investigated.

Be that as it may , in this case the three judge panel who heard the trial passed death sentences on all the six accused including Vaas and his son Ravindu Gunawardena.

It is noteworthy  , this is the first  time in Sri Lanka ‘s (SL) police history a death sentence was passed on a DIG of the police. The judgment was contained in 802 pages.Since the day the indictments were served on the accused on 31 st March 2014 , the trial continued to be heard .135 witnesses gave evidence . 

The president of the three judge bench delivered the verdict. The bench comprised Lalith Jayasuriya (president), Kusala Sarojini Weerawardena and Amendra Seneviratne . 

In addition to the death  sentence passed on Vaas Guinawardena ,  he was sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment (RI) and  a fine of Rs. 10.000.00 too  was  imposed on him. His son and the other accused were each sentenced to a year RI plus  a fine of Rs. 5000.00 was imposed. 

The former Attorney general (AG) Palitha Fernando T at that time instructed  ex chief justice (CJ) Mohan Peiris to consider this as a special court    case , and to hear it  sans jury by a special three judge panel of the high court.Following the consent received from the ex CJ , the case was heard before this special three judge bench.
   
The  ex AG filed action  against all the accused based on charges of conspiring with Mohomed Fouzdeen and Krishantha Koralage between 2013 -04-04 and 2013-04-22 to murder Mohomed Shyam .

Accordingly , the 2nd , 3rd , 4th , 5th and 6 th accused were charged with abducting Mohomed Shyam and killing him at Dompe, while Vaas Gunawardena was charged with aiding , abetting and giving authority  to commit the crime.

Former IP Lakmina Indika Bamunusinghe , ex PC Gamini Atapatu Sanathchandra  (51799) , Ananda Pathirage Priyantha Sanjeewa (68656) , Kelum Rangana Dissanayake (61816) were also  found guilty and sentenced to death.

The investigation into this murder was conducted by a special team of  CID officers including  ASP Shani Abeysekera, CI Ranjith Munasinghe and  SI Upali Bandara .The additional solicitor general  Ms. Ayesha Jinasena  on behalf of the plaintiffs addressed the court on ten days for 57 hours.

Incidentally , Lanka e news some time ago reported an incident involving Ravindu Gunawardena (sentenced to death today) , in which , following a conflict between Ravindu and another student (both of whom were studying in the Malabe IT campus at that time) , Ravindu’s father Vaas Gunawardena who was  in the CCD then  brutally assaulted the other student after bringing him to Vaas’ home . Vaas’s wife too had put that student down on the ground, trampled his head and attacked him.Lanka e news at that time also carried photographs of the sons of Vaas flaunting the blood monies collected from  contract killings of their father , as well as photographs of Vaas ‘s wife and sons undergoing firearm  training. 

Based on reports reaching Lanka e news , an appeal has not been contemplated against the judgment so far. 

It is most deplorable and despicable that even after Vaas was found guilty and punished by court over this gruesome ruthless murder  , the venal and disgraceful  media coolies in Sri Lanka are still sympathetic towards him. For instance, despite the High court delivering a judgment based on evidence of 135 witnesses , one media coolie who was present gave undue publicity highlighting  Vaas’ statement that he did not commit the crime. 

Truly speaking , in any  country where laws are duly respected and justice is held aloft  ,  reports of this nature of  media coolies will be treated as a contempt of court, for the court spent over one year of its precious  time to hear this case ,  and took so much  pains to deliver a judgment contained in 802 pages! In this backdrop some stray media coolie who digs garbage bins to pick up news coming on the scene and trying to whitewash the criminal who commited a most ghastly and ruthless murder for blood money should  certainly be held liable to charges of contempt of court. No media has any moral or legal right  to directly or indirectly cast aspersions on a court verdict.

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by     (2015-11-28 22:50:31)