By Skandha Gunasekara

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in Parliament yesterday, said he would hold a meeting with both, IGP Pujith Jayasundara and Minister of Law and Order Sagala Ratnayake tomorrow (5), while assuring Parliament that no Police investigations have been halted.

The Prime Minister, responding to a question raised by Chief Opposition Whip Anura Kumara Dissanayake, said he would summon both the Minister of Law and Order and IGP Jayasundara for a meeting on Monday and would invite MP Dissanayake, as well as other Parliamentarians, to discuss the matter at length.

The Premier was replying to questions raised by the Chief Opposition Whip and Joint Opposition Leader Dinesh Gunawardena, who, on the previous day, demanded to know who the unknown caller the IGP referred to as ‘Sir’ and if the Government was interfering with Police duties.

The Premier, elaborating on the matter said that nothing wrong had been done by the IGP as he was only answering an urgent call and that he had told the caller that particular individual would not be arrested just for appearing before Court to submit documents.

“This particular individual has been called before Court. The question posed to the IGP, over the phone, was if this individual would be arrested when he appeared before Court to submit some documents. The IGP responded that as this individual was only summoned to submit documents, there was no cause to arrest him. That is all that happened.”

The Premier then went on to affirm that the individual, referred to as a Nilame, by the IGP, during his phone call, was the Basnayake Nilame of the Devinuwara Temple, Disan Gunasekara.

“Who is this individual you ask? Why, even I know him personally. He’s the Nilame from the Devinuwara Temple. He was with us initially, but then went behind the ‘King’ to be protected. But now he is using his old connections to find out if he will be arrested when he appears before court to submit documents. Why is everybody making such a big deal about a Nilame making such inquiries when so many Opposition MPs have done the same? Numerous Opposition MPs have called the Police and inquired if they would be arrested; while some have even begged the Police to just take their passports and leave them be.”
However, the Premier said that if MPs approached him in such situations he would try to provide some relief.

“This government will not treat people the way the former regime treated Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka,” he said.

At this point the Chief Opposition Whip could be heard interrupting the Premier and asking for a clarification on who the unknown caller was that the IGP referred to as ‘Sir’.

“I think it was the Minister who made the inquiry. I’m going to meet him now and I will ask him then. He has not been in Colombo these past few days.” (the Premier does not mention a name although it is widely believed that it was the Minister of Law and Order Sagala Ratnayake).

“I will invite MP Dissanayake for Monday’s meeting as well. It seems this is a problem from within the Devinuwara Devala Dayake Sabha.

The Opposition then urged the Premier not to belittle the situation as Disan Gunasekara was a close relative of elites of the former regime and had numerous criminal allegations against him, to which the Premier vowed that no investigation had been stopped.

“We have not stopped any investigations; they’re being carried out accordingly. If he needs to be arrested he will be. When the appropriate time comes he can be arrested, but the decision to arrest lies with the judiciary not with the Government. The Government has not intervened in any investigation and has no intention of doing so. There are some 500 similar cases pending while 13 have received indictments.”

Courtesy:Ceylon Today