Secretary to PCoI on political victimization surrenders to court

Secretary of the Presidential Commission appointed to investigate alleged incidents of political victimization, Pearl K. Weerasinghe, has surrendered to the Colombo Permanent High Court-at-Bar today through a lawyer following a warrant was issued for her arrest.

The Secretary of the commission appeared before the judge-bench comprising Justices Vikum Kaluarachchi, Dhammika Ganepola and Aditya Patabendige this afternoon through her attorney Senarath Jayasundara.

The attorney informed the court that his client is prepared to handover all documents requested by the court, relating to the ‘Ali Roshan’ case.

Accordingly the court ordered the Secretary of the Presidential Commission to handover all relevant documents to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) within tomorrow (12).

Meanwhile the court also recalled the arrest warrant issued on the Secretary to the commission.

Justice Vikum Kaluarachchi stated that although a bond is usually set when a warrant is recalled, no such bond will be set on this occasion considering the respect for the commission and that fact that the Secretary had appeared before the court. 

The court had initially issued the warrant on march 06 for police to arrest and produce her before the court, for ignoring the notice issued by the same court ordering her to appear before it on that date while the court also barred her from leaving the country.

The court issued this order when the case filed against Samarappulige Niraj Roshan alias ‘Ali Roshan’ and seven others over the alleged illegal possession of five elephants, was taken up for hearing.

The Attorney General had filed 27 charges against ‘Ali Roshan’ and six other defendants under the Offences against Public Property Act, with regard to the possession of five elephants without licenses and racketeering.

Based on a complaint filed by the defendants of this case, the Presidential Commission of Inquiry appointed to probe alleged incidents of political victimization had commenced an investigation into this case and had taken the relevant documents into its custody.

However, the Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar had issued notice on the Secretary to the commission to present the documents before the court.

The Secretary to the commission had reportedly failed to appear before the court while the judge bench deemed this contempt of court and issued a warrant for her arrest. 

The warrant had been re-issued by the court yesterday (10).