Court reprimands CID for not arresting suspect

The Colombo Fort Magistrate while questioning the Criminal Investigation Department as to why a suspect alleged to have defrauded his son and stormed a newspaper office was not arrested yet, ordered the immediate arrest of the suspect.

Counsel Mahesh Katulanda appearing for the aggrieved party, the son, told court that apart from the alleged defrauding 150 million rupees from the son, the suspect had stormed a media institution and threatened the journalist who had reported the court case.   

When the Court questioned the CID as to why the suspect was not arrested yet, the officials did not provide an answer and said they were to seek the Advice of the Attorney General over a District Court order issued in connection with the guardianship of the complainant.

Earlier, the complainant alleged that his father had fraudulently taken a Court Order from a District Court in Horana to obtain his guardianship indicating that his son was mentally unfit to handle the property he was entitled to.

He alleged that his father had concealed the fact that he (son) was married when obtaining the guardianship in his favour.

CID: We have to seek the Attorney General’s advice on a District Court Directive.

Counsel for the complainant: The way the CID are referring cases to the Attorney General, the department will have to open a new counter to give out advice.

Magistrate Thilina Gamage fixed the next hearing on October 23.

Earlier, Ada News Editor Duminda Balasuriya in a complaint lodged at the Slave Island Police said the suspect, accompanied by two others, stormed the Ada newspaper office belonging to the Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. and threatened the editorial staff asking them to point out the reporter concerned.

The Ada news report was based on a news report published in the Daily Mirror by Lakmal Sooriyagoda on September 19 which stated that the Colombo Fort Magistrate had ordered the CID to conduct an investigation to arrest the father who allegedly defrauded his son of Rs.150 million he received from the Italian Government as compensation for injuries he suffered when an Italian police officer’s gun had misfired.

Lodging a complaint with the CID Rumesh Kusal of Horana said he had lived in Italy for 13 years where he had gone for educational purposes.

On March 29, 2006 the vehicle he was driving was halted and checked by the Italian police, during which time the police officer’s gun misfired, injuring the complainant. (Hafeel Farisz)

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