The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) today filed charge sheets against six suspects over the murder of Parliamentarian Nadarajah Raviraj. The six accused include former LTTE members and Sri Lanka Navy personnel.
Nine suspects are currently in custody in connection with the murder. The CID informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate that they were awaiting Attorney General’s direction on filing chargers on the remaining suspects.
Nadarajah Raviraj was shot and killed in the Rajagiriya at the age of 44 on November 10, 2006.
CDN
Raviraj killing :6 accused charge sheeted
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) yesterday filed charge sheets in Court against six accused including three Navy personnel and two ex-LTTE cadres affiliated to the Karuna faction for allegedly conspiring to commit the murder of former TNA Jaffna district MP Nadaraja Raviraj.
Filing the charge sheets before Colombo Additional Magistrate Nirosha Fernando, the CID informed that the Attorney General had given instructions to conduct a non-summary inquiry in respect of the six accused – Palana Sami Suresh, Hettiarachchilage Prasath Chandana Kumara, Gamini Seneviratne, Pradeep Chaminda, Sivakanthan Vivekanandan alias Charan and Fabian Royston Tusen.
However, the CID said the five suspects arrested in connection with the incident would be released from the case by the
Attorney General in the future due to insufficient evidence against them.
Meanwhile, Court permitted the CID to proceed with the non-summary inquiry in the absence of Sivakanthan Vivekanandan alias Charan and Palana Sami Suresh who are believed to have left the country and an arrest warrant was issued for their arrests.
The CID submitted that in the course of investigations, they questioned and recorded statements from 60 persons to ascertain the culprits’ identity.
The CID further informed that they even sought Scotland Yard assistance.
Two suspects Hettiarachchilage Prasath Chandana Kumara and Gamini Seneviratne arrested in connection with the incident were ordered to be further remanded till November 17 by the Additional Magistrate.
Raviraj was shot dead near his residence at Manning Town, Narahenpita in 2006 when his vehicle was being driven by him along Martha Road. The CID had recovered the trishaw and the weapon allegedly used in the killing of the former parliamentarian.
Lakmal Sooriyagoda