Rajagiriya accident - No CCTV evidence to show Patali was there: Police

(Published in Daily Mirror on 16/06/2016)

By Shehan Chamika Silva

The Welikada Police yesterday told Colombo Additional Magistrate Chandana Kalansooriya that according to the report sent by the Moratuwa University, the CCTV footage on the Rajagiriya accident in which Mega Polis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka’s vehicle met with an accident, showed no scientific evidence to prove that the minister was in the vicinity.

Police said to conclude the investigation they had to record a statement from the victim, Sandeep Sampath, who is currently being treated at the Ragama Hospital but that he was not in a stable health condition to record a statement.

The counsel appearing on behalf of the aggrieved party requested the Magistrate to name Minister Patali Champika as a suspect in the inquiry under the Section 124 of the Penal Code and Paragraph 11 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

He said the aggrieved party was not satisfied with the investigations carried out by the Police.
Police denied the allegations made against them by the counsel and told Court that they had carried out a fair and broad investigation into the matter.

They said that in the absence of sufficient evidence there was no way that Minister Ranawaka could be named as a suspect.

The counsel who appeared for suspect, Thusitha Dilum Kumara who is alleged to have driven the vehicle, said the Court had given into the requests made by the aggrieved party that it was time to move on with the litigation as this incident was just another traffic accident.

The Magistrate directed the police to obtain the relevant medical reports on the victim and postponed the inquiry for June 29.