Galagedara Magistrate Harshana Ratnayake acquitted a police officer, formerly attached to the Terrorist Investigation Unit, yesterday (19). The officer had been accused of drug addiction and bias in court due to his testimony against a senior police officer before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry investigating the Easter Sunday attack. The acquittal came after the magistrate found inconsistencies in the evidence presented against the accused.
The police had arrested the officer, identified as A.M.K.G Chaminda Bandara Abeysinghe, along with three wheel driver T.M.G.G Amila Pushpakumara Wijeratne on June 20th, 2021. They were accused of possessing ganja and were brought before the court under case number 7543/22.
Reports indicate that Abeysinghe, who was on vacation in the Poojapitiya area, was arrested while returning home. The police alleged that they found a parcel of marihuana in his possession during a vehicle search. Subsequently, both individuals were presented before the Galagedara Magistrate Court, leading to Abeysinghe’s suspension from the Terrorist Investigation Unit.
During the court proceedings, Abeysinghe’s defense argued that the arrest and charges were retaliatory in nature, stemming from his testimony against a senior police officer. The defense asserted that the allegations were false and that Abeysinghe was targeted due to his involvement in the Easter Sunday Attack Commission’s investigation.
After evaluating the prosecution and defense evidence, Magistrate Ratnayake ruled in favor of the defendants. The magistrate highlighted contradictions in the testimonies of police officers involved in the raid, leading to the acquittal of Abeysinghe and Wijeratne.
The defense team, led by lawyers Supun Rajapaksa and Shalika Gunasekara, successfully represented the defendants in court.
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