Staged Shooting: Halloluwa Back In Remand

COLOMBO (News 1st); Former Director of the National Lotteries Board, Thusitha Halloluwa, has been remanded until September 18 in connection with allegations that he orchestrated a staged shooting targeting his own vehicle, purportedly to discredit the government and the President.

The suspect was produced before Colombo Additional Magistrate Lahiru Silva today, who ordered his continued remand following submissions made by the prosecution.

Delivering the order on a bail request, the Magistrate stated that the prosecution had presented reasonable grounds to believe the suspect could interfere with ongoing investigations. 

It was also noted that his actions could potentially obstruct the course of justice.

The Magistrate emphasized that granting bail under such circumstances would undermine confidence in the suspect’s willingness to cooperate with investigators.

Accordingly, the bail application was rejected, and the suspect was ordered to be remanded once again.

Meanwhile, a separate bail application filed to prevent the arrest of Attorney-at-Law Dinesh Dodamgoda, who was reportedly traveling in the vehicle with Halloluwa at the time of the alleged incident, was also taken up in court.

Representing Dodamgoda, his counsel informed the court that the Court of Appeal had issued an interim order on Wednesday (3), preventing his client’s arrest.

The defense requested for a date for the current case until a final decision is delivered in the appeal. 

After considering the submissions, the Magistrate scheduled the next hearing for September 25.