Champika’s hit-and-run case: Pujith to be questioned

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.

The CCD, filing a motion yesterday (23), revealed this to Court.
Chief Inspector Neville de Silva along with Chief Inspector Fernando appeared for the CCD.

CCD: Your Honour, investigations pertaining to this case are still underway and it is necessary to obtain a report on call records of 20 SIM cards. Also, according to the suspects’ statements, it has been revealed that he had contacted the mobile phone of then Western Province Senior DIG Jayasundara. The CCD requests relevant Court orders to record further statements from 26 to 30 December.

Magistrate: Are there any annexures?  What are they?

CCD: We have annexed the statements mentioned in the ‘B’ Report. This request is being made after submitting today a report on the progress of investigations conducted thus far.  So far, three ‘B’ Reports have been submitted.

Magistrate: Have you reported necessary information under the Public Property Act from the first ‘B’ Report? I have observed that in today’s ‘B’ Report, it had been mentioned.

CCD: From the first ‘B’ Report, the Attorney General had instructed us to conduct investigations under the Public Property Act.

The Magistrate, after taking into account all arguments, issued necessary orders, including an order to the Prisons Superintendent to allow the CCD to record a statement from former IGP Jayasundara.

The Attorney General had charged former Minister Ranawaka on several points, including causing injury to a person by driving recklessly, and forwarding another person as the driver after an accident.

On 13 December, Colombo Additional Magistrate Kanchana Neranjana de Silva imposed a foreign travel ban on former Minister Ranawaka and Mahadurage Thusitha Kumara, who claimed to be the driver of the former minister.

In the accident in question, which took place on 29 February 2016 in Rajagiriya, Sandeep Sampath and Manula Minsuka Abeysundara sustained injuries.

A youth, who was with Sandeep at that time, had followed and stopped the vehicle which is said to have caused the accident. The youth had stated that then Minister Ranawaka was driving the vehicle.

However, a person named Thusitha Kumara surrendered to the Court in connection with the accident in question.

A case had been filed in the Colombo Traffic Court in this connection, and relevant Court proceedings had been concluded. The CCD, after re-investigating the incident, had reported to the Colombo Magistrate’s Court on 13 December.

The case was adjourned to today (24).

(Source: Ceylon Today – By Kavindya Perera)