AG files charges against ex-chief JMO for concealing evidence in Thajudeen killing

The Attorney General (AG) has filed indictments against former chief Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) Ananda Samarasekara for concealing evidence over the killing of national ruggerite Wasim Thajudeen.

Incidentally, this is the first instance in which the AG has filed a case against a chief JMO at the Colombo High Court, State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne, co-ordinating secretary to the AG said.

According to the AG, Samarasekara had entrusted two junior officers with the task of performing a post-mortem examination on the deceased, although he had been supposed to perform the task.

AG Dappula de Livera pointed out that the accused had removed some bone fragments from the body after instructing that it be sent to his office following the post-mortem inquiry.

These bone fragments have been missing since then, De Livera stated.  

The AG argued that no medical tests have been carried out on the bone fragments yet, although the accused had claimed that the bone fragments were removed for medical testing purposes.

The prosecutor also charged that the chief JMO had delayed the final report of the post-mortem examination by two years despite receiving the Government Analyst’s report.

Thajudeen was found dead in his vehicle on May 17, 2012 near the Shalika Grounds in Narahenpitiya – a death which the accused, in his autopsy report, had claimed to have occurred due to an accident.

However, the second post-mortem examination carried out upon court orders later by a special medical board had found that the ruggerite had been killed using a blunt weapon.