The case that drew wide publicity ten years ago on May 20, 2002 was that Government Auditor Lalith Ambanwela was injured when a substance identified as acid was alleged to have been thrown on him. This alleged incident occurred at the junction to the International Cricket Stadium on Asgiriya Road, in Kandy. The summoning of Police119 led to the investigations which was handled by Inspector Gurusinghe of the Special Crimes Investigations Unit, coming under the Deputy Inspector General of Police ( Kandy West ).
The investigations went before the Kandy Chief Magistrate Courts and then the case was forwarded to the Kandy High Court. Here the case came up before, then, High Court Judge Wimal Nambuwasam and finally it was heard as a specially assigned case before Kandy High Court Judge Preethi Padman Surasena..On May 25, Kandy High Court Judge Manilal Waidyatilleke announced that the verdict on the case where seven are accused of throwing acid on Auditor Ambanwela would be delivered on August 10, 2012.
The case centered on a 'tender' for the sales of computers to the Education Department and also on certain monies that had been expended on training programmes.
Seven accused are indicted in this case for allegedly throwing acid and conspiracy to murder Government Auditor Ambanwela. The accused are the Central Province Education Department’s former Chief Accountant Ananda Weerasinghe, Education Director Ananda Munasinghe, a businessman Mohammed Razeek Rehan and M.Seyedu Mohammed Razak, L.M.Mohammed Nileufer, M.M.R.Rahaman and Mohammed M.M.Imitiaz.
When indictments were served on the accused they were each ordered to furnish bail in Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 100,000 surety bail with two sureties each, after which they appeared in Court for trial.Two accused, Ananda Weerasinghe and Ananda Munasinghe were re-remanded when the case was being heard by the High Court Judge Surasena and are still on remand.
D.,P.Kumarasinghe PC., Wijeya Wickramaratne PC., Attorneys Ms.Dhammika Ariyadasa, Nimal Suraweera, Ms Jeevani Herathge, Vernon Gunaskera and Mervyn Silva appeared for the accused.
Attorney Aftar Jameel appeared for the fourth and fifth accused.
State Counsel Gehan Kulatunge with State Counsel Navaratne Marasinghe appeared for the prosecution, |
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