Suspended Inspector General of Police (IGP), Deshabandu Tennakoon, appeared before the Matara Magistrate’s Court earlier today. He arrived at the court voluntarily to surrender.
Tennakoon is a key figure in the investigation into a shooting that took place at the W15 Hotel in Weligama on December 31, 2023.
Previously, the Matara Magistrate’s Court had issued an arrest warrant for Tennakoon, along with eight other former officers of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD), all of whom are suspects in the shooting incident. Following this order, the CID was tasked with locating and arresting these individuals.
Tennakoon had filed a writ petition at the Court of Appeal, seeking to have the arrest order suspended. However, on March 17, the Court of Appeal dismissed the petition, which was a last attempt to block the arrest. The bench, including Acting President Mohamed Lafar Tahir and Justice Sarath Dissanayake, decided to reject the petition without a hearing, stating that it would be dismissed.
As a result, the Court of Appeal instructed the CID to proceed with Tennakoon’s arrest.
The Court of Appeal’s decision came after a series of legal motions, including Tennakoon’s request to delay the execution of the arrest order. Despite ongoing investigations and attempts to evade arrest, Tennakoon finally appeared in court today.
