AG orders immediate arrest of Avant-Garde chairman & 7 others
July 5, 2019 02:49 pm
The Attorney General has informed the Acting Inspector General of Police to immediately arrest the Chairman of Avant-Garde Maritime Services (Pvt) Ltd Nissanka Senadhipathi and 7 others, the Attorney General’s Department said.
However, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has informed the Attorney General’s Department that Mr Nissanka Senadhipathi has left the country, according to the Coordinating Officer to the Attorney General, State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne. He has reportedly traveled to Singapore.
The following suspects are to be arrested:
- Major General (Rtd.) Waduge Palitha Piyasiri Fernando
- Major General (Rtd.) Karunaratna Banda Adhikari Egodawele
- Yapa Hetti Pathirannehelage Nissanka Yapa Senadhipathi - Avant-Garde, Chairman
- Rtd. Commodore Vishvajith Nandana Diyabalanage
- Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Saman Dissanayake – Secretary, National Police Commission/Former Senior Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defence
- Rtd. Air Vice Marshall P.B. Premachandra
- D.M.S. Damayanthi Jayaratne – Former Senior Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defence
- Victor Samaraweera – Chairman, Rakna Lanka
In his letter to the Acting IGP, the Attorney General states that the Supreme Court yesterday (4) rejected the Fundamental Rights petitions filed by five of the suspects against their arrest.
However, before the Supreme Court announced its decision on the petitions yesterday the CID had informed the AG that Nissanka Senadhipathi and Vishvajith Nandana Diyabalanage have left the country.
Accordingly the AG informed the Acting IGP that there is no legal obstacle to immediately arrest the aforementioned suspects and produce them before court.
The AG also instructs to name P.B. Premachandra, Damayanthi Jayaratne and Victor Samaraweera as suspects, proceed according to the provisions of the Penal Code Ordinance, record their statements and produce them before court as suspects without delay.
The AG also instructs to report the progress with regard to this before July 08, 2019.
