Voices of arrested persons match with TV clips: Govt. Analyst

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Dileepa Peiris today informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate that the voices of two individuals who were arrested over making controversial statements on the 'white van' at a media briefing conducted by former minister Rajitha Senaratne, matched with the unedited video clips provided by television channels.

He said that according to the Government Analyst report regarding the voice tests of the two suspects, who claimed to be white van drivers, matched with the video clips provided by the television channels.

ASG Peiris also informed that former minister Senaratne's Media Secretary Malik Vijenayaka had organized the media conference and had paid Rs. 15,000 for a makeup artist to get both suspects ready for the media conference.

“The particular media secretary has left the country now and the CID needs to record a statement from him. So far, the main investigations related to the matter is over and the CID has only to record a statement from the former minister's media secretary," ASG Peiris told Court.

The other suspects in the case, former minister Rajitha Senaratne and former State Pharmaceutical Corporation Chairman Dr. Rumi Mohammed were produced in courts except for the two individuals who claimed themselves as white van drivers.

When the Magistrate questioned as to why the two individuals Douglas Anthony Fernando and Athula Sanjaya Madanayake were not present in courts, the CID said both suspects were arrested over a Rs. 4.4 million robbery in Gampaha. (Yoshitha Perera)