PCoI orders Police Unit to obtain Ex-SIS Director's mobile phone

Jayawardena had used to record conversations he had with senior security officials regarding the Terror Attacks, on his personal mobile phone.

The direction was made to Director of Police Unit Senior DIG Mahesh Welikanna after having listened to a recorded phone conversation between Senior DIG Jayawardena and former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando in the late April of 2019.

The phone conversation was recorded by Senior DIG Jayawardena after the appointment of the Malalgoda Committee by former President Maithripala Sirisena on April 21, 2019, tasked with investigating the coordinated terror attacks.

Senior DIG Jayawardena informed the Commission that after recording the conversation which he had with former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, he had transferred it to his laptop and to a Compact Disk (CD).

Commissioners also directed the Police Unit to send the particular laptop in which the recording was stored, to the Government Analyst's Department for further inspection, and to obtain a report.

After hearing the submissions made by Counsel Dilshan Jayasuriya and Anura Meddegoda PC who appeared for former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and former IGP Pujith Jayasundara, the Commissioners had also decided to obtain the personal phone used by Senior DIG Jayawardena to record the conversation.

During the submission, Counsel Dilshan Jayasuriya appearing on behalf of Fernando requested the commission to send the particular personal phone used by SDIJ Jayawardena, to the Government Analyst's Department for further inspection.

"The recording device is essential and that also has to be investigated. The laptop is only the secondary device that the witness had used to store these recordings," Counsel Jayasuriya said.

The Counsel also pointed out there may be some vital documents that SDIG Jayawardena had not submitted to the Commission yet.