If you can’t file cases, it is wrong to arrest top military personnel - President tells AG, Police

President Maithripala Sirisena today questioned the manner in which top security forces personnel were being detained in connection with serious crimes.

The process was totally unacceptable and the issue warranted a discussion at a special cabinet meeting, the President said, explaining why he convened a special Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

The President made these remarks at a President’s House news conference attended by media heads.

He said there were several ongoing investigations with regard to the killing of Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickramatunga, the assault on journalist Keith Noyahar, the abduction of 11 Kotahena boys, the disappearance of journalist Pradeep Eknaligoda and several other serious crimes, but in none of these cases, the suspects had been charged with committing the crime.

“Yesterday, I convened a special Cabinet meeting to discuss the state of affairs. I had obtained a report from the IGP over the progress of these cases. But I noticed, there has been a single case against any of the top military personnel arrested and kept in remand prison for months,” the President said, expressing his displeasure.

He said the officers, some of them holding senior ranks, had been arrested, remanded and later released on bail without any charges being filed against them. This had given rise to allegations that the Government was on a “Ranaviru Dadayama” or on a witch-hunt of war heroes.

Referring to the controversy surrounding the possible arrest of Chief of Defence Staff Ravi Wijeguneratne on charges that he had given protection to a suspect allegedly involved in the abduction of 11 boys from Kotahena and helped him flee the country, the President said:  “All the suspects in the case, except one, had been released on bail. I summoned the Police Chief, the head of the Criminal Investigations Department and the Attorney General for a meeting and asked them why top military personnel had been detained and released without cases being filed. I reprimanded them for this.  Some media reports, meanwhile, distort the truth and give the impression that the CDS was to be arrested. But the truth is no statement has been obtained from the CDS.

“I told them to file the cases if there is evidence. If you can’t file cases, it is wrong to arrest them and keep them in remand custody. But investigate the cases. These are serious crimes and the guilty must be severely punished.”

 

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