KP under protective custody - Kabir

Public Enterprise Development Minister Kabir Hashim and Labour and Trade Union State Minister Ravindra Samaraweera addressing a media briefing at Sirikotha yesterday. Picture by Sarath Peiris

Public Enterprise Development Minister Kabir Hashim yesterday confirmed that former LTTE chief international financier Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP was being detained in an Army camp.

Hashim addressing a media briefing at Sirikotha, answered questions with regard to the current whereabouts of the most senior member of the LTTE and assured the media that he was under Army custody.

“Unlike the former government, we have taken him from Visumpaya and shifted him into protective custody. Legal action is being taken against him,” the Minister said.

Labour and Trade Union State Minister Ravindra Samaraweera stressed that it was baseless for the Joint Opposition to criticise them over the Constitution and state that it was one which would hand over the country to the LTTE, when it was they who protected and shielded KP from legal action.

“Sarath Weerasekara now says that Wigneswaran has become more vociferous under this government and that he was silent during the previous regime. But, I would like to ask them why they kept K.P.at Visumpaya and Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka at Welikada?,” Samaraweera said.

“The Joint Opposition has no moral ground to ask us about the LTTE,” he added.

The Court of Appeal on December 3 was allowed to travel overseas as the petition filed against him was dismissed by the courts. JVP Parliamentarian Vijitha Herath had filed a petition seeking a Writ of Mandamus ordering the Inspector General of Police to arrest him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, Prevention of Terrorism Act and the Penal Code for financing the LTTE.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the petition stating that there was no legal foundation to take it before courts as the Deputy Solicitor General, Priyantha Nawana informed court that according to the reports submitted by the IGP and the Director General of the Criminal Investigations Department, Kumaran Pathmanathan, the respondent to the petition was not connected to any of the crimes mentioned.

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post