Police Sub- Inspector Sugath Mohan Mendis has revealed officials from the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) tried to manipulate him to provide a false statement pertaining to the case involving former Director of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Shani Abeysekera, the Daily FT reported.
SI Mendis said CCD officials had threatened to arrest him if he did not provide a false statement claiming that Abeysekera had fabricated evidence against former Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Vass Gunawardena.
Shani Abeysekera has been remanded on charges of fabricating evidence by planting firearms in a house in Gampaha and staging a raid that led to the arrest of former DIG Gunawardena and his relatives in 2014.
The weapons were recovered following investigations launched into the murder of Bambalapitiya businessman Mohamed Shiyam in 2013.
Three officials attached to former DIG Vass Gunawardena had sworn that the weapons belonged to the latter and had been placed in the house in Gampaha on his orders.
In June 2020, the three officials had revealed in Court that the weapons did not belong to Gunawardena but had been placed by Shani Abeysekera to falsely implicate Gunawardena.
Based on this investigation Abeysekera was arrested and remanded on Friday (31).
Meanwhile, SI Sugath Mendis was arrested yesterday after recording a statement with the CCD with regard to the incident.
SI Mendis, who was produced before the Gampaha Magistrate’s Court yesterday on charges of assisting Shani Abeysekera, informed Court that he was arrested for refusing to make a false statement.
Mendis’ Lawyer informed Court that ASP Neville de Soysa and IP Nishantha had said his client would be released if he gave a false statement claiming he witnessed Abeysekera placing the weapons at the house in order to release Vass Gunawardena from the case.
Following an application submitted to Court, SI Mendis was later allowed to record a sworn statement.
Both SI Mendis and Shani Abeysekera have been remanded till 07 August. (Newswire)
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