Udayanga Weeratunga further remanded

Sri Lanka's former Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga was today further remanded till March 18 by Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake in connection with the investigation into the MiG aircraft deal. 

The magistrate made the order after lawyers representing Mr Weeratunga filed a bail application which included 30 separate documents requesting that he be given bail under "extraordinary circumstances" under the Bail Act. 

Magistrate Dissanayake ordered Senior State Counsel Udara Karunathilake who appeared for the Attorney General to file objections to the bail application by March 25. 

Meanwhile, Acting IGP Chandana Wickramaratne informed court by letter that Inspector Nihal Francis, who had been investigating the MiG deal, can be produced before court to provide his services in the event the court needed to clarify any matter related to the investigation. 

The magistrate though, pointed out that the new investigators assigned to the case by the CID were not able to provide satisfactory answers to questions posed by the Defence and as such, ordered the Acting IGP again to ensure that Inspector Francis is produced in court. 

Pic by Indika Handuwala