60 CID officers to probe allegations against Riyaj Bathiudeen

Attorney General Dappula de Livera has directed the Police to conduct investigations into MP Rishad Bathiudeen’s brother, Riyaj Bathiudeen under 07 counts, says the Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana.

Riyaj Bathiudeen was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in April this year for allegedly having direct links to the terrorists involved in the Easter Sunday attacks. However, the CID released him in September, citing lack of evidence.

The Police Spokesperson said 60 police officers with special investigation skills have been deployed under the supervision of a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police to carry out the probes.

The police sleuths will proceed with the investigations as two separate teams; one team will be looking into 4 counts pointed out by the Attorney General while the other team probes the remaining 03 counts, DIG Rohana explained.

The investigations will be overseen by the DIG of the Criminal Investigation Department, two Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) and an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).

Riyaj Bathiudeen was taken into custody on the 14th of April this year while in Puttalam. After five months into the arrest, he was released by the CID on the 29th of September citing a lack of evidence to file a case against him.

However, objections were raised by various parties against the release of the former Minister’s brother, the Police Spokesperson said, adding that an internal investigation was subsequently launched into the matter.

The probes will be carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Financing Act, he said further.