Category: Local News

The Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) informed Colombo Additional Magistrate Lochani Abeywickrama that according to statements given by former Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, who is currently in remand, in connection with an accident that occurred in 2016, in which a youth named Sandeep Sampath was injured, he and former IGP Pujith Jayasundara, then Western Province Senior DIG, who is also in remand over the Easter Sunday attacks, had been in contact through their mobile phones.

At least three Indians including a woman and a Sri Lankan driver (67) were killed following a container lorry and van collision on the Southern Expressway (E-01) in Kurundugahahetekma this evening, the expressway police said.

MP Rajitha Senaratne today filed an anticipatory bail application for the third time in the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court seeking an order to prevent his arrest in connection with the ‘white van news conference’ held on November 10.

Former IGP Pujith Jayasundera, who was sent on compulsory leave, and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando were further remanded until 06th of January 2020 by Colombo Additional Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage today.

It is the duty of the Police to implement the law properly in the event of an accident; be it Patali Champika Ranawaka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Ranil Wickremesinghe or Rajitha Senaratne, the law should certainly be implemented, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday (22).

The Government has recently issued a series of best practices to all ministries with a view to rationalizing the prevailing mechanisms on engaging with Investors, Lending Agencies, Foreign Organizations and Missions.

A National Policy and Plan Implementation Bureau is to be set up to achieve the targets of the economic policies spelt out in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s election manifesto.

The Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations and the Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Development Programme Kanni Wignaraja says it is timely for the new Government to take forward the economic development drive.

State Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara said yesterday they had news that former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran had reportedly escaped Singapore and moved to other hideouts.

Indian Union Home Minister Amit Shah is learnt to have conveyed to Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami that the State government’s proposal for providing dual citizenship for refugees from Sri Lanka will be examined.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa as Finance, Economy and Policy Development Minister have issued directives to Chairmen and CEOs of all banks to suspend the recovery of loans obtained by the SME sector.

The Colombo High Court today released former media minister Keheliya Rambukwella and former State Printing Corporation chairman Jayampathi Bandara Hinkenda from the Bribery case filed by the Bribery Commission (BC) against them for causing a loss to the government by obtaining Rs.230,984 to pay the former minister’s phone bill.

Senior Superintendent of Police Shani Abeysekera has filed a Fundamental Rights petition before the Supreme Court calling for him to be reinstated as the Director of the Criminal Investigations Department.

While expressing the regret at the decision by the examining magistrate to place the Swiss local employee concerned in pre-trial detention, Switzerland said that it has sent former ambassador Jörg Frieden to Sri Lanka to find out the security incident at the Swiss embassy in Colombo.

The Colombo Chief Magistrate today rejected the anticipatory bail application filed by UNP MP Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, in connection with the ‘white van’ media briefing.

Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said Thursday the alleged kidnapping of a Swiss embassy staffer which triggered a diplomatic spat between Colombo and Bern had been concocted to discredit his election victory.