Assassination plot: CID seeks Huawei help to recover phone evidence

The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court had granted permission to the CID to ask Chinese phone manufacturer Huawei to help recover data which had been deleted from a phone used by Namal Kumara who revealed a plot to kill President Maithripala Sirisena, Reuters reported today.

Namal Kumara last month said he had discussed the plot by phone with DIG Nalaka de Silva. He said former defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa was also a target of Kumara has since been questioned but not charged with any offence.

Officials at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) told the court that some of Kumara’s phone data, which could be evidence, had been deleted and therefore they needed Huawei’s technical help to retrieve them.

Sri Lankan law prevents police from asking Huawei to help without first obtaining explicit permission from a court. The court granted it on Monday.