The army intelligence officer, who was arrested in connection with the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge, has been released on bail by the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court.
Magistrate Mohamed Sahabdeen ordered the suspect be released on a cash bail of Rs 50,000 and three personal bails of Rs 500,000 each, when the case was taken up for hearing today (27).
The court also barred the army officer from leaving the country or entering any military establishment in the country.
A Warrant Officer (WO) attached to the army intelligence unit was arrested on July 16 on charges of alleged abduction, unlawful detention and questioning of an individual, who was the driver of Wickrematunge’s vehicle at the time of the assassination.
Wickramatunga, editor-in-chief of the Sri Lankan weekly The Sunday Leader, was murdered on his way to work in January 2009.
Sri Lankan police last month exhumed the body of the slain journalist after a court granted permission for the police due to contradictory post-mortem reports--two months after the military intelligence officer was arrested in connection with the killing.
