The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has launched an investigation into statements made by three individuals convicted by a three-judge High Court bench in connection with the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, claiming that those actually responsible for the attacks are still at large.
Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris informed the Fort Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday (21) that the three individuals had made the claims before the High Court bench despite being convicted in connection with the attacks.
He said the individuals had claimed that although they were being sent to prison, those who were actually involved in the attacks remained free.
Describing the statements as serious, the Additional Solicitor General requested permission for eight CID officers to visit the prison and record statements from the three convicts, identified as Milhan, Rizkan and Zainul Abdeen.
The submissions were made when the case against three suspects, including former Director of the State Intelligence Service, retired Major General Suresh Sallay, over allegations of misleading investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks was taken up before Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena.
Reporting the progress of investigations, Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris informed the court that investigations which had previously slowed down were now being conducted swiftly.
He said statements had been recorded from several important witnesses during the previous week, including Mikel Xavier Vilvarasingham, alias Rajan, who had provided information to Army Intelligence.
According to the Additional Solicitor General, Rajan had been in contact with an Army Corporal identified as Suranga and had been instructed by the Army to gather information about activities at the residence of an individual named Theepan.
Theepan was identified as a friend of businessman Alawdeen, the father-in-law of Easter Sunday suicide bomber Inshaf Ahmed.
During his visit to the residence before the Easter Sunday attacks, Rajan had reportedly observed a woman wearing a black burqa and another man speaking Tamil in a dialect associated with the Batticaloa area.
The information had subsequently been communicated to Corporal Suranga.
Following the Easter Sunday attacks, Rajan had reportedly identified the woman he had seen at the residence as Sara Jasmine after watching television news broadcasts.
However, when Rajan informed Suranga of the identification, he had allegedly been instructed to remain silent, disregard the information and forget about the incident.
The Additional Solicitor General alleged that the disclosure of this information had been prevented with the knowledge of Suresh Sallay.
He further informed the court that investigations had revealed allegations concerning Sallay’s involvement in arranging a forged diplomatic passport for former LTTE member Karuna Amman to travel to the United Kingdom.
According to the submissions, Karuna Amman had claimed that Sallay and another individual identified as Ansar, who were attached to the Army, had arranged the passport.
The passport had allegedly been issued under the name Kokila Dushmantha, who was purportedly a Secretary at the Ministry of Environment, although investigators claimed that no such individual existed.
Karuna Amman had subsequently been arrested in Britain, imprisoned and later returned to Sri Lanka.
The Additional Solicitor General also claimed that Sallay possessed several passports and said further investigations would be conducted through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Meanwhile, CID investigators have also recorded a statement from former Minister Douglas Devananda in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks.
The statement was obtained following information that Devananda had introduced Azad Maulana, a key witness in the investigation, to the Karuna and Pillayan factions.
Presenting submissions on behalf of Sallay, President’s Counsel Shavindra Fernando rejected the allegations, claiming that the prosecution had failed to present sufficient evidence against his client.
He argued that the case was based entirely on statements and questioned the allegations concerning Sallay’s possession of multiple passports.
The President’s Counsel maintained that investigators should disclose the relevant passport numbers and explain how the documents had allegedly been obtained.
He further argued that Sallay had been in France during the period when the passport was allegedly prepared for Karuna Amman, questioning how his client could have arranged a passport in Sri Lanka while residing overseas.
During the proceedings, Magistrate Pasan Amarasena also raised questions regarding the progress of investigations concerning former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is subject to an overseas travel ban in connection with the case but has not been named as a suspect.
The Magistrate referred to a motion filed on behalf of the former President requesting the removal of the travel ban to enable him to travel overseas for medical treatment.
Responding, Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris informed the court that investigations concerning former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had reached an advanced stage.
He explained that Rajapaksa had not yet been named as a suspect because further investigations concerning other suspects remained ongoing and a case filed by the former President was pending before the Court of Appeal.
The Additional Solicitor General said Rajapaksa had requested permission to travel overseas for two weeks until mid-November for follow-up examinations and treatment following heart surgery at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.
He further stated that permission could be granted on humanitarian grounds if the former President required overseas medical treatment.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Pasan Amarasena informed the court that he had recently visited Suresh Sallay, who remains in CID custody, and that Sallay had stated he was being treated well by CID officers.
The Magistrate also inquired whether requests made by Sallay for certain food items had been fulfilled, to which CID officers responded that the necessary arrangements had been made.
Attorney-at-Law Asith Siriwardhana, appearing for Sallay, stated that keeping his client in CID custody was preferable to transferring him to Welisara. He also thanked the Additional Solicitor General for promptly facilitating medical treatment when Sallay required hospitalisation.
The Additional Solicitor General informed the court that Sallay, who had been hospitalized for 121 days, was currently in better condition while remaining in CID custody.
After considering the submissions, Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena granted permission for the requests made by the prosecution and ordered that the case be taken up again on November 25, when the progress of investigations is to be reported. (Newswire)
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