The Special Report

Sujith: 'Death can't silence justice'

By Chris Kamalendran and Ruwan Weerakoon

• Sujith: 'Death can't silence justice'
• Expedite probe, says Christian students group
• Street justice by police

While there are few clues yet as to who is behind the killing of Customs officer Sujith Prasanna Perera, many of his colleagues are still in shock and trauma but they are putting up a brave face as symbolised in a funeral banner which proclaimed "death cannot silence justice."

A sudden switch in police investigations has added to the mystery while the finger of suspicion keeps turning from firms allegedly involved in import/export rackets to Customs officers who were affected by the investigations of a man described by the Customs Chief as a 'brave and efficient officer.'

It has been no secret the customs officers have been under constant threat from politicians and businessmen demanding favours and pressing them to either call off or suppress ongoing investigations against them. 

During the past 25 years of a free-for-all economy, Customs officers are known to have regularly come under threat from political and business elements. 

Some of them have been forced to move residence and they do not take telephone calls because many are anonymous threatening calls.

Sujith Prasanna Perera who joined the Customs Department in 1988 after being educated at Mahanama College, Colombo was one of the key investigators who dared threats and went ahead with investigations.

"I remember in one instance he told an anonymous telephone caller, in front of me to go ahead and kill me if you can," a senior Customs officer said.

Thirty three year old Mr. Perera was known to be a key strategist who mapped out methods to detect underinvoiced goods. As a result many racketeers were nabbed.

Mr. Perera's family members, including his mother knew that he was receiving death threats and was forced to shift from his mother's residence at Kelaniya to his own house at Kiribathgoda. The officer seldom or never answered his land phone as he routinely received anonymous calls.

Though the officer brushed aside these threats he had recently complained to Customs Chief Lakshman Perera who had told him to be more cautious and alert.

The Customs Chief described Mr. Perera as a 'brave and efficient' officer and as an officer who did not hesitate to handle any sensitive case.

During Mr. Perera's 13 years of service, he was moved from division to division in keeping with Customs practice and was last serving at the Automated Data Processing Unit — an important unit which keeps track of all imports, declarations and duty.

But, apart from handling work at this unit, he assisted in completing probes on cases detected by him.

Among them was the Stassens case, beedi wrappers worth Rs. 9.6 million; the import of 15 luxury vehicles from Japan after alteration of chassis numbers; an attempt to remove 44 containers of glass sheets by a trader in Kiribathgoda and another case where a Chinese trader along with a provincial council member imported fans on allegedly false documents.

Mr. Perera also had a hand in a series of other investigations, sometimes drawing protests from colleagues who were allegedly linked to businessmen.

In one of the cases involving undervaluation of food items, Mr. Perera was sent to the United States along with the former Chief Preventive officer Anura Gunatillake for expert advice and investigation.

Mr. Gunatillake is currently out of the country, on leave and Mr. Perera was due to carry on with the investigations which were revived, after the company went to courts on the matter. Another mysterious element in this case is the withdrawal of a bank guarantee allegedly with high-level political influence, Customs sources said.

This company has 19 cases pending against it but most of them have been held up for reasons unknown.

Mr. Perera was one of the officers who convinced his senior officers that they successfully carry out investigations about cases of undervaluation of goods and suggested that they should go ahead with raiding business houses and checking their books, inventories and documents relevant to the investigations, Customs sources said.

Mr. Perera's efficiency was known not only within the customs, but also among importers and other businessmen. They knew him as an alert officer and sometimes avoided bringing in consignments when he was on duty. Some treated him as an 'enemy'.

His action also had made him an enemy among some of his colleagues.

Recently Mr. Perera and another senior officer involved in investigations had protested to the Customs Chief about the decisions made by the inquiring officers in respect of four cases. The inquiring officers are responsible for taking decisions on fines and confiscation based on the reports submitted by investigating officers.

The Customs Chief had reportedly agreed that the decisions made by the inquiring officers were not correct and Mr. Perera's protest was up held. Accordingly, two decisions were revised by the Customs Chief and two more were due to be revised.

Besides doubts or fears as to some inside connection in the Customs, questions have also been raised about the police investigations into the slaying of Mr. Perera.

First the Peliyagoda Police handled the probe but now Gampaha's Senior Superintendent D.W. Prathapasinghe, a former CID officer, is heading the probe. Explaining the switch, Deputy Inspector General Daya Jayasundara said one reason was that Peliyagoda Police were overloaded with work. Thus he brought in SSP Prathapasinghe who also had CID experience.

Until Friday evening the Police had not been able to make a breakthrough in the investigations, but had only recorded statements from family members, the victim's brother-in-law who was travelling with him at the time of the incident, and customs officials among others.

DIG Jayasundara says he believes the possible contract killer was an army deserter.

The victim's family members still remain in shock at their home in Kirbathgoda. His wife, Anjala Nishanthi (28) and mother Priya have been providing a series of statements to the Police. Mr. Perera's mother believes the shooting was obviously connected with his work.

'I have answered several anonymous and mysterious calls inquiring about my son's whereabouts. I know he received several threats,' his mother said.

While the Customs Officers Union of which Mr. Perera was the secretary has called for more security, including the setting up of an armed unit, President Chandrika Kumaratunga called in security chiefs and the Customs Director General to discuss the situation.

It was decided that Mr. Perera's wife and 18-month-old daughter Ayesha be given Rs. 10 million as compensation. 

The Sunday Times learns that certain customs officers are under pressure from their families to quit their jobs, obtain leave or to seek foreign employment. But many officers said they were determined to carry on with investigations, despite threats.

Mr. Perera is the first officer to be killed after Chief Preventive officer, Superintendent of Customs, A.W. Amarapala was gunned at the BRC grounds in Colombo while jogging in 1986 . Investigations revealed that he was murdered on a contract given by a gold smuggler.

The mastermind of that killing had gone missing while two others arrested - one of them the assassin known as Gothatuwe Suny and the broker known as Kichil were sentenced to jail for 25 years.

Last week's killing has shocked Customs officers so much that some officers suffered from trauma. At least one officer who was a close associate of Mr. Perera, suffered from this trauma and met with a motor accident. (Please see box).

One of the notices printed by Mr. Perera's colleagues for the officer's funeral which took place on Monday read 'Death cannot silence Justice'. That is the determined wish of his colleagues.

Expedite probe, says Christian students group

The group said it suspected that his death was in connection with a number of exposures carried out by the Customs Department and aimed at obstructing his investigative work as a Customs Officer.

Mr. Perera was the one-time general secretary and treasurer of the SCMSL.

The group urged the Government to take all necessary steps to bring all invisible hands behind the conspiracy to book. Raising concern about Mr. Perera's widow and 18-month-old daughter, the group called on the governement to offer compensation to the grieved family. 

Street justice by police

By Tania Fernando

Customs Supeintendent Ranjan Perera Hewagama said he was on his way to the Fort office around 2.30 p.m. on Thursday when his car hit a parked police motorcycle and a policeman was injured.

"I got a black-out and lost control of my vehicle for a few seconds and when I regained consciousness I heard someone shouting. I noticed that I had knocked a motor cycle that was parked and when I got down I saw that I had knocked a police constable," Mr. Hewagama said.

He said about six police officers who were around had abused him in filth and then assaulted him.

"I told them to stop it, since I did not run away and that the first thing was to get the injured policeman to a hospital. After which they had got a three-wheeler and taken him to hospital."

Although he was not steady on his feet they had requested him to walk to the Fort Police Station, and he did with the help of a police officer. "The officer who took me told another officer at the station to make sure that they lock me in a cell."

He was detained for about three hours then taken to a JMO, and finally to the National Hospital.

Mr. Hewagama said that according to doctors who had looked at his X'rays, he had a fracture on his hand.

"I have been under a lot of pressure lately and have been receiving threatening calls," he said.

Fort Police Inspector A M Ekanayake said Mr. Hewagama had knocked a police constable while driving and there was an assault after that but he did not know who the policemen were. 

The Special Report II

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