Arrest CDS if there is evidence he helped Prasad evade arrest-Magistrate tells CID

Ravindra

By AJA Abeynayaka-August 30, 2018, 12:00 pm 

Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne yesterday told the CID that Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, Chief of the Defence Staff, could be arrested and produced before courts if there was adequate evidence to prove that he has in anyway helped Lieutenant Commander Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi, who was wanted by courts, evade arrest.

Magistrate Jayaratne also ordered that Hettiarachchi, the 10th accused, in a case of kidnapping 11 youth between 2008 and 2009, be remanded till September 12.

Inspector Nishantha Adrian Silva of the CID told the Magistrate that there was adequate evidence to prove that Wijegunaratne, as the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy,had advised Hettiarachchi to avoid arrest. The CID also told the Magistrate that the two national identity cards that were in possession of Hettiarachchi, when he was arrested, belonged to a Civil Defence Force member, from Agbopura, Kanthale and a resident of Thalduwa, Ahangama.

Jayaratne also ordered 22 state and private banks to provide CID by next week with detailed reports on the accounts Hettiarachchi had maintained and the investments he has made. The CID told the court that the suspect, in being involved in crimes and other incidents has made statements, claiming that he could not remember or had any knowledge of them. Thus the CID asked for more time to question Hettiarachchi. The Magistrate ordered the Superintendent of Prisons to assist the CID in questioning Hettiarachchi.

Attorney -at-law Kalpa Perera, appearing for the defendant said that Attorney Ajith Prasanna who appeared for Hettiarachchi when the suspect was produced before the court on August 15 has made statements without the suspect’s advice. Perera told court that Hettiarachchi had not asked Prasanna to appear on his behalf.

Jayaratne told Perera that it was a very serious matter and instructed Perera to confirm it after checking with the suspect in the dock.

Inspector Nishantha Adrian Silva told the Magistrate that attorney - at - law Prasanna had appeared for former Military Intelligence Director and Army Chief of Staff Major General (Retired) Amal Karunasekara, who was arrested in connection with the abduction and assault of former The Nation Newspaper Editor Keith Noyahr in 2008, without Karunasekara ‘s instructions. Silva requested the court to take appropriate action. The Magistrate said that she would look into the matter.