Monitoring of police  officers’ phones; citizen seeks info under RTI Act

R.S. Bamunusinghe Arachchige from the World Trade Centre in Colombo has used the Right to Information Act (RTI) to ask the Police Commission whether a front page story in the Sunday Times is correct and what action It proposes to take over the matter.

The report on December 3 was headlined “Phone monitoring: Police Commission takes case to CC.” Mr Arachchige has asked whether the Police Commission has launched an inquiry into the allegations made by the Senior DIGs that their telephone records were being sought by Police Chief Pujith Jayasundera. Our report said that the head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Senior DIG Ravi Seneviratne revealed how Police Chief Jayasundera wanted telephone records of senior officers.

The request has been directed to Commission Secretary N. Ariyadasa Cooray. Commission sources said the independent body does not have the jurisdiction to probe the conduct of the Police Chief since he does not come within the definition of the Public Officers Act.

The RTI request also includes a query on whether any action has been initiated in respect of the Director of the SIU (Special Investigations Unit) who had allegedly sought details without a judicial order.

Read more Cafe Spectator