Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Dileepa Peiris has proposed that indictments in two high-profile cases involving former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandhu Tennakoon be filed before a three-judge bench, once the respective investigations are concluded.
The two cases cited by ASG Peiris involve the alleged misuse of state funds by former President Wickremesinghe during his visit to the United Kingdom to attend his wife’s PhD conferment ceremony, and the Weligama W15 Hotel shooting incident in which former IGP Tennakoon is implicated.
The proposal was made during a high-level meeting between officials of the Attorney General’s Department and the police, the Sunday Times reported. The meeting was attended by Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe and Acting IGP Priyantha Weerasuriya. The Assistant Superintendent of Police had recommended appointing separate trial judges to hear the two cases, considering the senior positions previously held by Mr. Wickremesinghe and Mr. Tennakoon. Both individuals have been named as suspects in their respective cases.
However, it was noted at the meeting that investigations into both incidents are yet to be fully completed. Accordingly, the Attorney General informed officials that a final decision on the proposal would be taken only after the relevant investigation extracts are submitted upon completion of the probes.
The Attorney General further instructed Deputy Solicitor General Yuhan Abeywickrama, who is supervising the Weligama W15 Hotel shooting investigation, to take the necessary steps before December 31. As investigations into that incident are now largely complete, instructions were issued to expedite the filing of charges against Deshabandhu Tennakoon and eight other police officers alleged to have been involved in the shooting.
During the meeting, the possibility of using some suspects in the Tennakoon case as witnesses was raised; however, this proposal was rejected.
The progress of investigations into the case involving former President Wickremesinghe was also reviewed. Prior to this meeting, a discussion lasting more than four hours had been held between officials of the Attorney General’s Department and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). That meeting was chaired by Senior State Counsel Samadari Piyasena on behalf of the Attorney General’s Department. The CID team included Assistant Superintendent of Police S. Wedamulla, Chief Inspector Nalinda Herath, and Police Constable Bandara.
According to the Sunday Times, the conduct of former Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake was discussed extensively, including whether investigations had established that he committed an offence or aided and abetted an offence through his actions.
Ms. Piyasena has been tasked with submitting her independent observations on the future course of action regarding Mr. Ekanayake before January 28. A determination on whether to name him as a suspect will be made based on these observations.
With regard to the CID team that travelled to London to investigate Mr. Wickremesinghe’s visit to the United Kingdom, it was decided to defer any decision until reports relating to that segment of the investigation are received. Consequently, a decision on further legal action against Mr. Wickremesinghe will be taken only after the completion of the entire investigation.
Meanwhile, the meeting between the Attorney General and the Inspector General of Police also reviewed the progress of investigations into 45 serious criminal cases. Instructions were issued to promptly examine completed investigation reports and to issue the necessary directions for the filing of indictments.
