AG displeased over response to his directives on Judge Gihan Pilapitiya

The Attorney General has expressed his displeasure to the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) over the response in dealing with the AG’s advice and directives on Justice Gihan Pilapitiya.

On January 23, the Attorney General instructed the Director of the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) to obtain a warrant and arrest interdicted High Court Judge Gihan Pilapitiya and to produce him before the court for conspiring to fabricate false evidence” along with MP Ranjan Ramanayake.

On the same day, the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) C. D. Wickramaratne appointed a five-member committee to study the abstracts on the investigation on interdicted Judge Gihan Pilapitya.

The committee was also instructed to make recommendations on the Attorney General’s instructions to arrest interdicted Judge Pilapitiya.

Subsequently, the Attorney General called for an explanation with regard to the non-compliance with his advice to invoke the judicial process in interdicted High Court Judge Gihan Pilapitiya’s case.

Embilipitiya High Court Judge Gihan Pilapitiya was interdicted on January 22 over the controversial phone conversation he had with UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayake.

A series of audio recordings of phone conversations between the MP and several high-profile officials in the country including former Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Shani Abeysekara and three judges, were leaked to the media earlier this month.

Recordings contained phone conversations between the parliamentarian and Justice Gihan Pilapitiya, retired Judge Padmini Ranawaka, and Magistrate Dhammika Hemapala.

As per the Attorney General’s instructions, the CCD recorded statements from HC Judge Pilapitiya, Retired Judge Padmini Ranawaka and Magistrate Hemapala.