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Police unsure why Johnston still not arrested

08 Jun 2022

 
  • Police unaware whether CID has grilled MP’s MSD personnel 
  BY Buddhika Samaraweera It has been a week since the Attorney General’s (AG) Department informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court that former Minister and incumbent Government MP Johnston Fernando would be named a suspect in the 9 May attack on peaceful protestors, but so far, the two Criminal Investigation Department (CID) teams assigned to arrest him have been unable to do so. When contacted by The Morning yesterday (7), Police Media Spokesman, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and Attorney-at-Law (AAL) Nihal Thalduwa said that Fernando had not been arrested as of yesterday afternoon. He noted that the inability to locate him could be the reason for the CID to not have arrested him. Meanwhile, when questioned as to whether there was an interrogation of the Police officers deployed for Fernando’s security regarding his whereabouts, Thalduwa said that he was not aware as to whether such an interrogation had taken place. “Maybe he has gone somewhere without security guards. Also, some MPs and Ministers say that they do not need security personnel. However, it is not possible to say exactly what has happened in this case,” he said. However, when contacted by The Morning, an official of the Ministerial Security Division (MSD), said that Fernando had not given any notice to the MSD that security personnel were not required for him. Fernando’s mobile phone number mentioned in the directory of Ministers, State Ministers, and other MPs, issued by the Parliament, was active as of yesterday afternoon. Following the AG’s Department informing the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court on 1 June that Fernando and three others have been named as suspects in the case filed with regard to the incidents of peaceful protestors being attacked by a group of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) supporters in Colombo on 9 May, two CID teams had been appointed to arrest him on 2 June. The relevant case is to be taken up again today (8). Additional Solicitor General Ayesha Jinasena PC meanwhile informed the Colombo Fort Chief Magistrate that a statement made by Fernando at the Temple Trees to the effect of “Let’s get rid of this (the anti-Government protest sites), if the President cannot”, on the day of the attacks, has been referred to two psychiatrists for expert opinion, adding that the same has also been referred to the Government analyst. A group of SLPP supporters who had come to meet then-Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had attacked the “MynaGoGama” and the “GotaGoGama” protest sites in front of the Temple Trees at Kollupitiya and at the Galle Face Green, respectively, on 9 May. Allegations have been levelled against Fernando and several others that they incited the SLPP supporters to attack the protest sites during the said meeting.


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