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SRILANKA-POLICE-ARREST
Sri Lanka arrests top police watchdog official
COLOMBO, July 18, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Sri Lankan detectives Thursday
arrested the chief executive at the police watchdog over his alleged
involvement in a multi-million dollar gun-running racket and sought
international help to trace four other suspects.
Saman Dissanayake, the secretary and the chief executive officer of the
National Police Commission, was taken into custody at a state hospital,
police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said.
He said another key suspect, Damayanthi Jayaratne — a former additional
secretary to the ministry of defence — is believed to have fled the country
along with three other suspects.
International help will be sought to trace the quartet and bring them back
to face justice for transferring state weapons to a private company during
the tenure of former president Mahinda Rajapakse, officials said.
At the time of the offence, Dissanayake and Jayaratne were top officials
in the defence ministry which was directly controlled by Rajapakse’s younger
brother, Gotabhaya.
Gotabhaya, who was the top bureaucrat at the defence ministry, is also
accused of defrauding the government of millions of dollars through illegal
arms deals.
He faces several other criminal charges and is currently on bail, but
according to his lawyers is currently in Singapore recuperating after heart
surgery.
Gotabhaya is due in court next week in connection with another
embezzlement case.
Rajapakse lost the January 2015 election to Maithripala Sirisena, who
pledged to clean up corruption and end cronyism in the Sri Lankan government.
BSS/AFP/BZC/2005HRS