{"id":158652,"date":"2016-03-05T16:53:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-05T11:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=158652"},"modified":"2016-03-06T01:17:25","modified_gmt":"2016-03-05T19:47:25","slug":"lawyers-to-take-on-champika-and-welikada-police","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/lawyers-to-take-on-champika-and-welikada-police\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawyers To Take On Champika And Welikada Police"},"content":{"rendered":"

A group lawyers will lodge a complaint to the Police Commission against the Welikada police over its failure to take action against Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Champika Ranawaka<\/span><\/a>, who is alleged to have been involved in an accident in Rajagiriya which injured two, with one of the victims sustaining serious injuries on February 28.<\/p>\n

\"Champika<\/a>

Champika Ranawaka In Hot Water<\/p><\/div>\n

Despite a detailed account by an eye witness, Gayashan Vinura who claimed that the vehicle was driven by Ranawaka<\/span><\/a>, and even though they have given a statement to this effect to the police clearly stating that it was the Minister who was involved, action has not been taken, and instead another person is reported to have surrendered to the police, who was also bailed out even though the victim continues to be in the Intensive Care Unit.<\/p>\n

Lawyers of the victim said that they were surprised about the police inaction. \u201cWhether the culprit is a poor person or a politician, the law should be the same to everyone,\u201d lawyer Premanath dolawatta said.<\/p>\n

Two eyewitnesses,\u00a0Gayashan Vinura and\u00a0Mohamed Sufai had yesterday submitted two affidavits to the Police Headquarters, claiming that Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, had driven the vehicle involved in the accident. ( Read affidavits here<\/span><\/a> and here<\/span><\/a> )<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Acting IGP Senior DIG S.M.Wickremesinghe has instructed the Welikada police to send copies of the written statements to Western Province Senior DIG Pujith Jayasundara, after several Parliamentarians in a letter requested the IGP to ensure justice is meted out in the matter.<\/p>\n

Ranawaka has denied involvement<\/span><\/a> in the allegation and claimed that the vehicle was in fact been driven by a staff member of his ministry, despite two eyewitness accounts.<\/p>\n

In 2002, also during a UNF government, the career of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Air Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody ended abruptly<\/span><\/a> after he tried to cover up a motor accident involving his official car and a lorry, which killed the lorry assistant who sustained severe injuries following the accident.\u00a0Air Force driver Upul Jayakody had turned up at the Borella Police to own up that he drove the Air Force Commander’s official vehicle. That was whilst the police had not interviewed Air Marshal Weerakkody for many days.<\/p>\n

DIG Nimal Gunatilleke’s\u00a0investigations found that it was Air Marshal Weerakkody who had driven the official vehicle.<\/p>\n

Related posts;<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt Wasn\u2019t Me\u201d \u2013 Ranawaka<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Audio: Champika Ranawaka In Hot Water As New Evidence Surfaces On Rajagiriya Accident<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\t

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