22 July 2020 10:28 pm
Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne today told CID to file action against journalist Dharisha Bastians if CID investigations revealed that she had obstructed the Police in conducting investigations into the Swiss Embassy official abduction case.
At the outset of the inquiry, the suspect’s Counsel told the Magistrate that on a previous inquiry date the Counsel Riaz Noordeen, due to an oversight told the Magistrate that Dharisha Bastians' laptop was taken into CID's custody on June 10, but clarified that the laptop was taken by the CID on June 4.
ASP Merril Ranjan of the CID told the Magistrate that Ms. Bastians had obstructed the CID investigations from the very inception of their inquiry.
Considering the submissions of both parties, the Magistrate ordered the CID to file charges against Dharisha Bastians, if sufficient evidence available. She also ordered the CID to send Dharisha's laptop to the Government Analyst to examine and report.(T. Farook Thajudeen)