2 yrs RI for Fmr. PSD Chief

25 March 2011 06:43 am

Former head of the Presidential Security Division (PSD) SSP Nihal Karunaratne (Rtd.) was sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment suspended for ten years by the Colombo High Court for obstructing duties of a Police Officer in 2000.

The Colombo High Court Judge Kumuduni Wickremesinghe also imposed a fine of Rs.25,000 and ordered SSP Karunaratne to pay Rs. 300,000 to the complainant police officer Hettiarachchi Samudrajeewa as well.

SSP Karunaratne was the head of the PSD during the time of President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

In February 2, 2000, then PSD Chief Karunaratne threatened SI Hettiarachchi Samudrajeewa while the policeman was trying to carry out his duties to arrest some criminals.

On this occasion, Samudrajeewa who at the time was OIC, police special team at Peliyagoda acting on a tip off and on the instructions of his superior DIG O. K. Hemachandra entered Baddegana Sanjeewa’s house to apprehend some wanted criminals. Karunaratne had arrived on the scene and threatened Samudrajeewa and obstructed the cop from carrying out police orders.  (TFT)