The Colombo Magistrate’s Court has issued warrants on the driver and the assistant involved in the controversial ‘white van’ press conference, called by former Minister Rajitha Senaratne back in early November last year.

Additional Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage, issuing the warrants, called for the arrest of the duo as they failed to make an appearance before the court today (26).

Presenting its submissions, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said the two defendants were reportedly remanded by the Gampaha Magistrate’s Court over a robbery, yet they had not taken measures to inform the situation officially.

Defence attorneys representing the two defendants were also absent at the hearing today, according to Ada Derana correspondent.

However, the third and the fourth suspects of the case, former Minister Senaratne and former Chairman of the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) Rumy Mohamed had presented themselves before the court today (26).

Taking into account the submissions presented during the hearing, the Additional Magistrate decided to issue warrants on the first and second suspects of the case.

In the days leading up to the Presidential Election last year, Senaratne had called two persons named Anthony Douglas Fernando and Athula Sanjeewa Madanayake for the said press conference, where they made controversial statements regarding alleged “white vans” and purported incidents of certain abductions, assassinations, robberies and forced disappearances during the administration of former President and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

One of them had claimed that he was a “white van” driver involved in abducting people while the other claimed he once served as a driver to transport a stock of gold in previously LTTE-held areas.