Assistance from President’s Fund sought to reward police officer killed in Weligama shootout – Acting IGP

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana  

A sum of Rs. 2.5 million has been requested from the President’s Fund to provide a reward for the police officer who died during the W15 Hotel shootout in Weligama, Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Priyantha Wijesuriya revealed yesterday.  

According to Wijesuriya, the request was initially made by former Public Security Minister Tiran Alles, following a proposal by then-IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon. This information was disclosed before the committee currently investigating Tennakoon’s conduct.  

However, Wijesuriya also noted that the reward was never handed over to the officer’s family. Instead, the funds were deposited into a bank account, which has since been frozen.  

It was further revealed that a posthumous promotion could be granted to the slain officer, pending the outcomes of ongoing investigations by the Colombo Crimes Division and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU).   Additionally, the committee was informed that Acting IGP Tennakoon had submitted two identical reports on the Weligama incident, with the second report merely altering the date of submission.   In a related development, 43 police personnel assigned to provide security for Tennakoon were withdrawn after he went into hiding. Despite this, he continued to receive his salary and allowances until a warrant was officially issued for his arrest.