Member of Parliament and former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen has today (14) informed the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter Sunday Attacks, through his Attorney at Law Rushdhie Habib that the evidence given by Mahinda Dissanayake former SSP Kurunegala before the Commission alleging that Rishad Bathiudeen had telephoned him or otherwise spoken to him is absolutely false.
In a letter addressed to the Presidential Commission Rishad Bathiudeen’s Attorney has said that his client “had not phoned Dissanayake or spoken with him as alleged by Dissanayake”. His claim that following the release on bail of Dr. Shafie, then government doctor attached to the Kurunegala Government General Hospital, Rishad Bathiudeen had telephoned him is “absolutely false’. The Attorney has urged the Commission to verify Dissanayake’s phone recordings “which my client believes will establish Dissanayake’s false testimony”.
The Attorney has also pointed out to the Commission that ‘wide publicity is being given in sections of the media to anything purporting to be said against my client while anything to the benefit of my client had received little or no coverage’.
He had said that his client is an elected Member of Parliament for an unbroken period of 20 years. For instance my client’s affidavit which answers every issue raised in the Commission, some raised unfairly, has not got any coverage in any media. As a result of continuous biased reporting a false impression has been created in the public mind about my client. The wide publicity given to falsehood such as the telephone call has caused my client considerable pain of mind and damages, the Attorney has informed the Commission.
