30.May.2011
It is reported that the only remaining suspect who was in hiding in the murder case involving the accused Chandana Kathriarachchi has suddenly been killed yesterday. This murder has occurred at Pusselawa , district. In the preliminary investigations it has been revealed that the chief suspect Nihal Suresh who was in hiding has died not under accidental circumstances. He has been in hiding in the Badulla District , it is learnt.
In the murder of Kathrige Don Chandraratne , action was filed against suspects ,former M P Chandana Kathriarachi and a group . The Attorney General (AG) later withdrew the indictments filed against Kathriarachchi and his group.. However , interestingly the AG did not withdraw the charges against the chief suspect Nihal Suresh . The case was heard in the absence of that suspect.
This murder was committed in 1996.While this case was tried in the High Court , Colombo , because of the threats which were faced by the Jury, the High court judge Kumudini Wickremesinghe dismissed the jury panel on the 26th of July 2010.
On the 27th of March 2010 , in a surprise move , the AG withdrew the grave charges against the accused Kathriarachi on the ground that there are no witnesses in the case. However, it is to be noted that the AG did not withdraw the charges against the suspect who was murdered yesterday.
The action of the AG to withdraw the charges against the accused , former MP Chandana Kathriarachi and the group came in for heavy flak from the legal and political circles.
LNW