Shani Abeysekara files FR petition challenging his arrest

Former Director of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Shani Abeysekara, through his attorneys, has filed a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition challenging his arrest.

The petition has been lodged before the Supreme Court.

Former CID chief was arrested on the 31st of July this year, on charges of allegedly fabricating evidence in a case pertaining to the arrest of former Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Vass Gunawardena.

In 2013, eight suspects including Vaas Gunawardena, his wife, and son were placed under arrest after they were identified as suspects in the murder of businessman Mohamed Siyam. Later, probes were also carried out into Gunawardena’s alleged illegal possession of weapons.

During the investigations, the CID had presented submissions to the court that a stash of weapons purportedly owned by Gunawardena was recovered from a house in the area of Kalagedihena in Gampaha.

The owner of the house and his wife were arrested this year, under the orders of Gampaha Magistrate.

However, two police officers, the owner of the house and his wife, who gave evidence on the recovered weapons stash recently, had altered their testimonies, saying that the said weapons cache was hidden at the said location by the former CID chief himself.

Accordingly, based on these revised testimonies, the CCD launched an investigation into the incident under the directives of the IGP and arrested Abeysekara in July and he was repeatedly further remanded during the past few months.

On the 25th of November, reports revealed that Abeysekara was tested positive for Covid-19 while in remand custody at Mahara Prison.

He was initially placed under medical care at the Gallella Treatment Centre before being transferred to the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) in Angoda on medical advice.