UW remanded again, Court takes strong position on case

COLOMBO (News1 st):- Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake decided to further remand Ex-Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga to the 11th of March. The Former Ambassador was arrested and remanded for his unlawful interference in purchasing MiG Fighter Aircraft for the Sri Lanka Air Force from Ukraine and for embezzling millions, through the deal. An application for bail filed by the Ex-Ambassador was rejected by the Fort Magistrate and Counsel said a documented application for bail would be filed with court in due course. In court today, an Assistant Superintendent of Police produced a certificate which claimed the suspect - Udayanga Weeratunga - had committed an offense under the Public Property Act for causing damages exceeding 25,000 rupees. Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake pointed out, as per the certificate produced by the ASP, a Magistrate's Court does not have the power to grant bail to the suspect and therefore decided to remand Udayanga Weeratunga until the conclusion of the examination of the case. The Magistrate also ordered for the court registrar to send an order to the Acting IGP to take necessary measures to re-assign Chief Police Inspector Nihal Francis and SSP Pavithra Dayaratne to the case, as it was they who investigated the matter for over 05 years. The Magistrate made the order, after pointing out in open court of the fact, court is yet to be informed of the hand-over of the order given on the 19th of February to the Acting IGP on the above matter via court officers. Deputy Solicitor General Peiris requested court to issue a warrant for the arrest of Nelum Duminda Manamperiya - a relative of Weeratunga, who would be named as a suspect in the case. The request was turned down by court.