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Government admits CID chief transfer linked to release of Bathiudeen
08 Oct, 2020
The Government today admitted in Parliament that the transfer of Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in charge of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Nuwan Wedasinghe was linked to the release of Riyaj Bathiudeen, the brother of former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen.
Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage told Parliament that an investigation over the release of Riyaj Bathiudeen is currently underway.
He said that the head of the CID was transferred as a result of the release of Riyaj Bathiudeen.
Wedasinghe was transferred last weekend, hours after the Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith raised concerns over the CID.
Wedasinghe was transferred as the Acting Deputy Inspector General, Western Province (North).
DIG S.P Ranasinghe was later appointed as the new CID DIG.
Wedasinghe was appointed as the DIG in charge of the CID last December.
Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith had on Saturday expressed concerns over the investigations conducted by the Criminal Investigations Department into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.
He was mainly concerned that Riyaj Bathiudeen, the brother of former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen who was arrested in April on suspicion of involvement in the terrorist attacks and held under detention orders, had been released, due to lack of evidence.
Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith was concerned that while the Police had earlier said there was clear evidence against Riyaj Bathiudeen, CID investigators failed to provide sufficient evidence.?(Colombo Gazette)
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