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President orders probe on Welikada `special house`
Thursday, 20 April 2006 - 3:29 AM SL Time
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Following the shocking revelation that some of the country`s notorious criminals were provided special facilities at Welikada Magazine Prison, the Justice Minister on the direction of President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed a commission to probe allegations of such facilities.
The commission comprising two retired Supreme Court judges will inquire into the provision of special facilities to certain prisoners including the setting up of guidelines on allowing prisoners to be warded in hospital only on health grounds and not on the basis of privilege; the smuggling of drugs, weapons and other prohibited items into the prisons cells and the connivance of prison officers in this illegal arrangement; to inquire how paroles and pardons are granted and the sending prisoners outside prison to work at public institutions.
The report has to be finalized and forwarded to the President in three months.
President Rajapaksa has directed the Justice Ministry Secretary to take severe action against those responsible whatever their position may be if they are found guilty of providing special treatment to the prisoners.
Meanwhile the Justice Ministry had initiated a separate ministerial probe into the conduct of the Prisons Chief, Rumy Marzook.
Yesterday Justice Ministry officials took a team of journalists on a visit to the Magazine prison where nineteen prisoners resided in a special unit of the Welikada prison. Journalist found the place secluded from the main building and with a garden frontage. The prisoners were free to move about in this special section. The house with six rooms was supplied with a TV, fans and tiled bathroom.
Journalists who visited other parts of the prison saw the prisoners living in cramped conditions with 170 inmates living in one section with five to a cell. In another hall there were 237 inmates and they were provided with one television set.
Last Monday, the Ministry Secretary who had made a surprise visit to look into the situation of fine defaulters had accidentally discovered a compact house with extra facilities being maintained in the prison premises itself.
The Secretary said though the suspects were kept there on the grounds of providing special security there was not a single guard to be seen on duty at the time he visited the prison.
'It has transpired that there had been violation of prison regulations by giving special place and there could have been a dangerous situation by keeping suspects involved in murders and frauds in the country and suspects of both local and international drug trafficking together,' the secretary said.
Prisons Assistant Superintendent W.H. Wijeytillake who was said to be the official in charge of prisoner arrangements denied the allegation of providing special facilities to selected prisoners.
He said he made special arrangement to provide meals from outside for a suspect in the VAT fraud case as he was informed of a threat to poison him through his meals.
'I made a special arrangement with a jailor to bring the meal for him and that was to prevent any harm happening to him,' Mr. Wijeytillake said.
He said this section was to provide special security and some suspects were kept there on the orders of the court.
'But during the visit of Justice Ministry Secretary most of the officers were on leave due to the National New Year season. Only one guard was present but even he had gone to another section of the prison when the secretary arrived,' the Prison Superintendent said. 'Sometimes even clerical staff were put on security work,' he added.
However following this incident the Magazine Prison Officer in charge ASP Wijeytillake had been transferred to Anuradhapura prison and immediately after the incident Justice Minister Amarasiri Dodangoda appointed a committee to inquire into the running of the special unit for the suspects within the prison premises and requested a report from Prisons Chief.
The suspects living in this place include Thamil Eeniyam and Rengan Jenagan the two arrested in connection with Foreign Minister Kadirgamar`s killing, the suspects in the country`s biggest drug detection case Mohamed Shyam Mohamed Shamoon who were arrested with 23 kilograms of heroin at Ward Place, Noor Mohamed and, A.G. de Soyza Jayatillake the main suspect in the VAT scam
The other suspects who were living in this luxury house were Jeewaratnam Susanthan, Saman Sujeewa Kumara, A. M. M. Chandana, E. A. P. Ediriweera, Ramanchandran Wigneshwaran and Police officer Nishantha Kumara Muthukuda.
Multimillionaire Chinese and Pakistani suspects were said to be living in a separate units provided with a television set and refurbished bathrooms without a single prison guard for security.
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NirmalP
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 7
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20 Apr 2006 05:57:16 GMT Report for Abuse
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So ... Its proves again ... If you have money ... There is nothing you can't buy in SRI LANKA. I really like to see what Wimal W/Mangala S gang will say to this as they shed lot of 'Kimbul Kandulu' (all for the Votes) on Kadiragarmer (no doubt a grate son of Sri Lanka) killing.
Edited By - NirmalP - 20 Apr 2006 05:59:20 GMT |
wijeyesinghe
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 452
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20 Apr 2006 06:53:45 GMT Report for Abuse
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Is this a another commission set to wast money
Ask the prisoners and then you will know
why ask a commission to investigate
are we going back to CBK era? |
mageychintana
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 269
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20 Apr 2006 07:38:42 GMT Report for Abuse
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Wijeysinghe,
Yes indeed. This is nothing but a repition of the CBK era. You will soon realise it along with alot of the other MR supporters. |
Sam007
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 81
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20 Apr 2006 15:04:42 GMT Report for Abuse
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| These things are being happening for so many years under different governments and at least these things have come out now for people to know. You don't need to have commissions to know who the culprit is, only some have to take action and send all these people involved home. |
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