Former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon appears before court

The former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon has appeared before the Matara Magistrate’s Court this morning (19), sources told Ada Derana.

The Matara Magistrate’s Court had previously ordered the arrest of eight former officers of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD), including former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, and named them as suspects in the shooting incident that occurred in front of the W15 Hotel in the Pelena area of Weligama, Matara, on December 31, 2023.

Following this, the CID was instructed to arrest and present the eight individuals, including former Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, before the court.

Meanwhile, police investigations were ongoing to locate Tennakoon, who had been evading arrest for several days.

On March 17, the Court of Appeal dismissed the writ petition filed by Tennakoon, in which he sought an interim injunction to prevent the execution of the arrest order issued by the Matara Magistrate’s Court in connection with the shooting incident. Subsequently, the Court of Appeal ordered the CID to take immediate steps to arrest and present Tennakoon before the court.

The ruling was delivered by the Court of Appeal bench, comprising Acting President of the Court of Appeal Mohamed Lafar Tahir and Justice Sarath Dissanayake, who announced that the petition would be dismissed without a hearing. The petition had been taken up for consideration on March 12, during which Tennakoon’s legal representatives requested an interim injunction to stay the arrest warrant issued against him.

Meanwhile, Tennakoon’s legal representative submitted a motion yesterday to the Court of Appeal regarding the petition, requesting permission to submit additional documents related to the case. This motion was filed ahead of the appeal decision on his writ petition.

Additionally, an agreement was reached between the Attorney General (AG) and the legal counsel of the suspects implicated in the 2023 shooting incident near a hotel in Weligama. In this regard, the AG issued a special notice on March 16 regarding the order to arrest Tennakoon and six other suspects in connection with the incident.

As per the agreement, the AG directed the CID not to arrest the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) and five other accused individuals, excluding Tennakoon, who was wanted in connection with the incident and had been absconding.

Meanwhile, following former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon’s appearance before the court, the case regarding the 2023 shooting near the W15 Hotel in Weligama will be taken up this afternoon before the Matara Magistrate’s Court.