Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala announced that the Government plans to take swift action regarding the Batalanda Report after discussions with Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara.
He made this statement while responding to questions from journalists during an inspection visit to the Floating Market Complex in Pettah, Colombo on Saturday (8).
“Deshabandu Thennakoon cannot hide forever. He will have to face the law eventually. The current Government will enforce the law without considering whether someone is a politician or a police officer. Crimes will always come to light at some point – just like the Easter Sunday attack, the Central Bank bond scam, and the Batalanda incident,” Watagala stated.
Deputy Minister Watagala said that the movable and immovable properties of Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon can be acquired under a circular already issued by Acting IGP Priyantha Weerasuriya, if he continues to evade the Court.
“There is no point of him being in hiding, if he had not committed any offence,” he said.
He said that there are provisions in the legal system to deal with those who are evading Court, after arrest warrants are issued.
“If he wants to prevent his movable and immovable properties from being seized by the Government, he must surrender to Court,” he said.
He further alleged that during the Central Bank bond scam, Ranil Wickremesinghe facilitated the escape of Arjuna Mahendran from the country, knowing that Mahendran could have been lawfully arrested. Watagala claimed that criminal intent was involved and that even if political influence helped cover up the crime in the past, the law would eventually be enforced without exception.
“If Ranil Wickremesinghe is responsible for these three crimes – the Central Bank bond scam, the Easter Sunday attack and the Batalanda incident -we will take action accordingly,” he added.
Regarding the issues faced by vendors at the Floating Market Complex, Watagala highlighted that shop owners who had been trading for over 40 years on Olcott Street were forcibly relocated to the Floating Market.
He noted that while a few shops remain open, most are completely closed.
Watagala also mentioned that a Japanese project had been proposed through the Urban Development Authority (UDA) but claimed that public funds had already been misused, causing significant financial losses.
(dailynews.lk)
(This story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)
