Top Sri Lankan military official detained over mass murder cover-up after weeks of evading arrest
- Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne will be held in custody pending investigations into the killing of 11 young men between 2008 and 2009
Sri Lanka’s highest-ranking military officer was remanded by a court on Wednesday after weeks evading arrest for allegedly protecting the chief suspect in the murder of 11 people during the civil war.
The Colombo Fort magistrate ordered that Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, the country’s military chief, be held in custody for a week pending investigations into the abduction and murder of the young men between 2008 and 2009.
The magistrate denied bail for Wijegunaratne after it emerged he tried to abduct a key witness over the weekend, and sought to have an investigator removed from the case.
“I am denying bail because in your position you are able to influence witnesses and disrupt the investigations,” Magistrate Ranga Dassanayake told a packed courthouse.
Wijegunaratne, who arrived at court flanked by military personnel, has denied protecting the chief suspect in the high-profile murders - a navy intelligence officer - or attempting to cover-up the crimes.