More abuses by Hantana abuser exposed

Aug 28, 2016

Kandy chief magistrate Buddhika Sri Ragala says courts are not at all satisfied with the manner police have conducted investigations into the sexual abuse of girls at the human leadership training academy at Hantana in Kandy. He was taking up the case on August 22. The magistrate said police have not come forward to nullify or challenge the submissions made by lawyers for the accused. That has made him give conditional bail for the suspects, said the magistrate.

Magistrate Ragala ordered that the four remanded suspects, including Kandy businessman Deshashakthi ‘Sinha’ Nimal N. Peiris, be released on bail. Peiris was ordered a Rs. 10,000 cash bail and a Rs. 500,000 surety. Caretaker of the academy Dr.  Chandimal Gamage was enlarged on a Rs. 25,000 cash bail and two sureties of Rs. 500,000 each. The other suspects, Imesha Wickremasinghe and Nuwandi Weerasinghe were ordered two sureties of Rs. 100,000 each. Giving bail, the magistrate warned them not to influence the complainants. He also impounded the passports of the suspects. President’s counsel Kalinga Indatissa appeared on behalf of the suspects, while a team of lawyers led by Bandara Karunanayake appeared on behalf of the aggrieved party.

 

After he was given bail, Peiris had a round of secret talks with media institutions to start a project to repair the damage caused to his image. It was attended by representatives of several leading media institutions in Colombo. An estimate of Rs. 30 million has been submitted for the project. Several other businessmen connected to this abuse incident are soliciting the support of top police officials and VIPs to sabotage investigations by the women and children’s bureau of the Kandy police.

 

Only Peiris and Gamage were arrested and produced before courts, out of the many suspects in this abuse case. Parents of the victims say many others who had sexually abused the girls are yet to be arrested. They do not trust the police investigations into the incident and accuse police of not arresting the suspects.

 

Of the abuse suspects, only Peiris and Chandimal Gamage have been arrested and produced before court, while many others responsible are still at large, say parents of the abused girls.

 

Meanwhile, ‘Sathhanda’ newspaper has come into the possession of pictures of Peiris posing naked with several underage girls a few years ago. The purpose of taking the pictures is unclear.