The Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court has issued an order for the release of seven vehicles belonging to Sudath Kithsiri Kumara, alias ‘Weliwita Sudda’, who was arrested under the Money Laundering Act during Operation Justice in 2024. The order includes the return of five buses, a car, and a motorcycle to their respective owners.
These vehicles were seized by the Criminal Investigation Department’s Illegal Assets Unit as part of Operation Justice, a campaign initiated under the concept of former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon to crack down on illicit wealth and assets linked to organized crime.
The Kaduwela Magistrate, Chandima Wijebandara, initially ordered the release of the vehicles after a report was filed with the court on February 17, 2024. However, after the Criminal Investigation Department’s Unlawful Assets Unit and Deputy Solicitor General Sudarshana Silva presented the case before the Homagama High Court, the then Homagama High Court Judge Nimal Ranaweera overruled the magistrate’s order, directing that the vehicles remain in police custody.
Following further legal proceedings, High Court Judge M.Y.M. Irshadeen ruled against extending the ban that had prevented the release of the vehicles, thereby allowing the Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court to proceed with the release order.
Despite the legal battle, the Unlawful Assets Division made a final request for the vehicles to be released on a vehicle bond, which Magistrate Chanima Wijebandara rejected, confirming that the vehicles must be returned to their rightful owners.
This case highlights the ongoing legal complexities surrounding asset seizures under anti-money laundering operations and the challenges faced by law enforcement in retaining confiscated properties linked to organized crime figures.
