CID to record statements from Cardinal on Easter attacks post-Christmas, court told
December 23, 2019 11:36 am
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) informed the Colombo Magistrate’s Court today (23) that more statements on Easter Sunday terror attacks will be recorded from His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith post-Christmas.
Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, who represented the CID, stated this when former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara were produced before the court this morning. The case was taken up before Colombo Additional Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage, who ordered to further remand the duo until the 6th of January.
The Deputy Solicitor General also revealed that the CID is planning to record statements from former President, former Prime Minister, Speaker of Parliament, former Ministers Rishad Bathiudeen and Rauff Hakeem.
Although requests have been made seeking permission to record statements from former President and several secretaries, however, they are yet to schedule dates for evidence recording, the Deputy Solicitor General said further.
He said the CID will seek a court order in the future if any individual is intentionally delaying evidence recording.
Considering the submissions, the Additional Magistrate ordered to further remand the two defendants until January 06. The CID was ordered to submit a report on the progress of the attacks on that day.
In the meantime, the Presidential Commission probing the terror attacks on Easter Sunday is scheduled to meet today (23).
The panel also convened last week to record statements from several police officers.
It was revealed that on April 11 this year, a letter containing a forewarning of a possible terror attack targeting the Indian High Commission and several Catholic churches in Sri Lanka was received by the office of SP Sanjeewa Bandara who was in charge of Colombo North Division.
Inspector of Police R.S. Upendra admitted that SP Bandara had talked to him about replicating the logbooks of Kotahena Police with fabricated information in following the Easter Sunday attacks. He also revealed that the content of the statements he had recorded so far was influenced by SP Bandara.
