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Prisons Department’s Ratwatte probe report soon 

06 Oct 2021

  • ‘Final stages of preparation/compilation’: Prisons Commissioner 
  • SC orders AG to direct Prisons CG to ensure 8 A’pura Tamil PTA FR petitioners’ security 
BY Dinitha Rathnayake  The report of the Prisons Department investigation into incidents at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons involving former Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, which was supposed to be handed over to Prisons Commissioner General (CG) Thushara Upuldeniya within two weeks, is in the final stage of preparation and compilation.  Prisons Department Media Spokesman and Prisons Commissioner Chandana Ekanayake, speaking to The Morning yesterday (5), said that Prisons Commissioner S. Kodithuwakku, who led the investigation on behalf of the Prisons Department, would hand over the report to CG Upuldeniya upon completing it. An investigation related to both the incidents commenced in September when the recording of statements began. Last week, eight Tamil political prisoners at the Anuradhapura Prison filed a fundamental rights (FR) petition at the SC, praying for appropriate interim orders that fit the alleged serious offences committed by Ratwatte at the Anuradhapura Prison on 12 September. Yesterday, the Supreme Court (SC) ordered Attorney General (AG) President’s Counsel (PC) Sanjay Rajaratnam to direct Prisons CG Upuldeniya to ensure the security of the eight prisoners at the Anuradhapura Prison who filed a FR petition against Ratwatte. Meanwhile, Mrs. World Sri Lanka 2021 Pushpika De Silva, speaking to The Morning, said that the situation is under control on her side, since the release of a statement explaining her position. De Silva has denied media reports suggesting she had accompanied Ratwatte during the latter’s forced entry to the Welikada Prison premises, where reports state that Ratwatte and a group of his friends had engaged in various antics within the prison while under the influence of liquor including visiting the gallows.  The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) also began investigations into the incidents, with the former commencing their inquiry on their own accord while the latter started their probe following a complaint lodged by the Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners (CPRP).  Ratwatte, who is the incumbent Gem and Jewellery-Related Industries State Minister, is due to appear at the HRCSL this month as part of its ongoing investigation into the incidents that occurred last month at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons, where in the latter incident, he is accused of having threatened prisoners with his personal firearm.  HRCSL officials told The Morning that the investigation is progressing steadily and that the prisoners involved in the incident and Prisons CG Upuldeniya have already been questioned last month. It is learnt that although Ratwatte was due to appear before the HRCSL last month, he had requested that the date be postponed due to an illness. On 12 September, an inebriated and pistol-brandishing Ratwatte had flown in a helicopter to the Anuradhapura Prison, where he had summoned a group of Tamil political prisoners detained under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act, No. 48 of 1979 as amended (reports state between eight to 16 such prisoners), and ordered them to kneel, and had proceeded to threaten two of them including Mathiyarasan Sulakshan (Prisoner Number 141 whose case is being heard at the Vavuniya High Court) and Ganesan Tharshan, at point blank range, telling them to accept their offence/s and to submit to authority.  Prior to this incident, on 6 September, Ratwatte had, together with a group of friends, also under the influence of liquor, forcibly entered the Welikada Prison premises after 6 p.m. and proceeded to view the gallows. As per Section 39 of the Prisons Ordinance, a parliamentarian who wishes to pay a visit to a prison can only do so between the hours of 5.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m.  The Prisons Department, the HRCSL, and the CID have since commenced investigations into the incidents, whilst Justice Minister M.U.M. Ali Sabry PC appointed High Court Judge (Retd.) Kusala Sarojani Weerawardena to independently inquire into the incident. Ratwatte resigned from the post of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation State Minister on 15 September, and he is claimed to have, as per a Tweet by the President’s Spokesman, accepted responsibility for the incidents at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in the same Tweet mentioned, had accepted the said resignation. However, in subsequent statements made to the media, Ratwatte had denied all allegations against him.


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