CID to launch new probe into Shafi incident

• Court allows CID to record evidence again
• Special inquiry against Dr. Shafi that he had allegedly given a new born baby to another party
• Another probe against the doctor over money laundering and his bank accounts
• Says transfer of former CID Director would not hinder probe 

By Pushpakumara Jayaratna   

Kurunegala Magistrate Sampath Hewawasam yesterday allowed the CID to launch a fresh probe into the sterilisation charges against Dr. Mohamed Shafi of the Kurunegala Hospital. 

  It permitted the probe on a request made by CID’s new director SSP W. Thilakaratna.   
On July 25, the Court released Dr. Shafi on a cash bail of Rs.250,000 with four sureties of Rs.2.5 million each.   
The 42-year-old doctor was arrested by the police on May 24 and handed over to the CID. He was first accused in a case in which he was charged with earning assets through suspicious means and in another case he was charged with performing illegal sterilisation operations on a large number of women.   

This is the first occasion that a director appeared for a case being heard at Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court against the doctor Shafi Shihabdeen representing Criminal Investigations Department. When this case was being heard on earlier occasions, former director Shani Abeysekera has not appeared for the case in the court. But, on his behalf, a team of officers including ASP B.A.Thissera and IP Nishantha de Silva have appeared before court.   

Having explained the matters to the court in this regard, the new director of CID explained that the CID is the heart of the police and it should stabilize the security of the people and the country. Accordingly, the senior SP Thilakarathna informed the court that he would carry forward the case with more transparency so that the people can trust.   
He said that he would hold a special inquiry in to the allegation levelled against doctor Shafi that he has given a newly- born baby to another party as soon as the baby was born in the ward and he promised to present its progress to the court at the next date of hearing the case. In addition, he informed the court that a full report would be presented before the court after investigating the allegation leveled against the doctor regarding money laundering and investigations about his bank accounts.   

In the meantime, the President’s counsel and Attorney Wasantha Bandara Nawaratna said that the transfer of the former director of CID, Shani Abeyesekera and ASP Thissera has become a barrier for the investigation process as well as an injustice for his client despite the fact that the investigations have been carried out by them justifiably.   
In response to his statement, senior SP Thilakaratha said that the transfers concerned have been done according to an administrative process and that it would not become a barrier for hearing the case. He added that when a police officer is transferred according to administrative reasons , other officers would be deployed to carry it forward continuously and that there are clever police officers in the CID for that purpose.   

Chanaka Abeywickrema, the attorney who appeared for the mothers, informed the court that the suspect doctor should appear before the CID in every month but he has not appeared on two occasions.