Policemen with drug links further remanded

by Sarath Malalasekera

A woman drug trafficker and seven policemen including two inspectors attached to the Borella Police station taken into custody by the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) after being detected with allegedly assisting drug traffickers and remanded were yesterday further remanded till January 26 by Maligakanda Magistrate Priyantha de Silva.

Refusing an application for bail in respect of the suspects by a team of lawyers, the Magistrate said the report before court had stated the investigations into the matter are not completed and forwarded a summary of the evidence against the suspects.

The Magistrate directed the prosecuting officers of the CCD to obtain instructions from the Attorney General and submit a comprehensive report in connection with their investigations to court on the next date.

At the outset, Nihal Gunasinghe, Senior Counsel for four suspects, moving for bail submitted to court that the CCD officials had violated the suspects' fundamental rights. They were taken into custody without credible evidence against them.

Quoting several Supreme Court Judgements, Gunasinghe said the prosecution had failed to inform court on what evidence the suspects were taken into custody. They were taken merely on a statement made by the first suspect.

Ajith Pathirana, Senior Counsel for the second suspect, moving for bail submitted to court that his client was arrested by the CCD on a personnel grudge.

There was no sufficient material to connect him with the case. His client was taken into custody only on a statement made by the first suspect, Senior Counsel Pathirana said.

CCD ASP J. Rohan Jayawardena submitting a further report in connection with their investigations objected to the suspects being released on bail as the investigations are not completed.

Dealing with the submissions made by one of the Senior Defence Counsel, ASP Jayawardena said some of the suspects had arrested only the innocent consumers and not the kin-pins of the drug trafficking for the last several years.

ASP Jayawardena said the investigations directed by Colombo DIG Pujit Jayasundera and CCD Director Senior SP Sarath Lugoda revealed the most wanted drug peddlers in the Colombo division had not been arrested by any of the suspects.

ASP J. Rohan Jayawardena with Inspector Nuwan Wedasinghe, OIC, CCD and Inspector Dammika Iddamalgoda appeared for the prosecution.

Nihal Gunasinghe, Ajith Pathirana, Lloyd Grey, Yasantha Perera, Udaya Sri Keerthiratne, Namal Rajapakse and a team of lawyers appeared for the suspects.

A special squad attached to the Colombo Crime Division led by CCD Director Senior SP Lugoda carried out the detection and took the suspects into custody.

The Special CCD team conducted the investigations on the direction of Chandra Fernando who had instructed all the police stations to carry out probes on errant cops involved in hard drug trafficking irrespective of their position.