A dramatic legal turn looms as Sri Lanka’s former President and former IGP face the possibility of rare three-judge High Court trials following high-level discussions inside the Attorney General’s Department.
After the conclusion of two major investigations into former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and former Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon, Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris has proposed that indictments be filed against them before a three-judge High Court bench, also known as a Trial-at-Bar, according to reports.
This proposal was reportedly made during a special discussion involving senior officials of the Attorney General’s Department and the police. The meeting focused on allegations that former President Ranil Wickremesinghe misused government funds during a trip to Britain to attend his wife’s doctorate conferment ceremony, as well as the controversial shooting incident near the W15 Hotel in Weligama involving former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon.
Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe and Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasuriya were present at the meeting, highlighting the seriousness of the deliberations. It was recommended that, given the high offices previously held by Wickremesinghe and Tennakoon, separate three-judge High Court benches be appointed to hear the cases in which they have been named as suspects.
However, the Attorney General noted that the investigations into both incidents are still ongoing. He stated that a final decision on indictments will be taken only after receiving extracts from the completed investigation reports.
Regarding the Weligama W15 Hotel shooting incident, investigations are said to be in their final stages. The Attorney General has instructed Deputy Solicitor General Yuhan Abeywickrama to take the necessary steps before December 31. Orders have also been given to expedite indictments against eight police officers allegedly involved in the incident, including Deshabandu Tennakoon. A proposal to use certain suspects as government witnesses has reportedly been rejected.
Progress in the investigation involving the former President was also reviewed extensively. Details of a previous four-hour discussion between the Attorney General’s Department and the Criminal Investigations Department were revisited. The role of former Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake was examined, with Senior State Counsel Samadari Piyasena instructed to submit independent observations by January 28 on whether any criminal liability exists. Whether he will be named as a suspect will depend on those findings.
A final decision regarding further action against Ranil Wickremesinghe has been deferred until reports from the CID team that traveled to England to investigate the London trip are received. In addition, the Attorney General and the IGP reviewed the status of 45 serious criminal cases and issued instructions to fast-track investigations and file indictments without delay.
