-By A Staff writer
(Lanka-e-News -11.April.2025, 9.20 PM) In a courtroom drama that could rival any political thriller, former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon—detained in connection with the now-notorious 2023 Weligama W15 hotel shooting—was released on bail by the Matara Magistrate’s Court yesterday (10). But not without a fight.
The bail, set at two sureties of Rs. 1 million each, came after Deshabandu’s legal team argued that there were no formal complaints suggesting he had influenced witnesses or obstructed investigations. The court, in its 16-page bail order, acknowledged that the police had sufficient time to conduct their inquiries and that the other six suspects in the case had already been released on bail—thus, in the name of equality, so should he.
But that decision lit a legal fuse.
Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Dileepa Peiris, speaking on behalf of the prosecution, wasn’t having it. With a tone of restrained but unmistakable fury, he warned the court that this was not the moment to grant bail. "This man is not just a suspect," Peiris thundered. "He is the architect of the entire plot."
According to Peiris, Deshabandu had premeditated the attack. Surveillance footage of the hotel had allegedly been obtained well in advance, and personal animosities with the hotel’s owners were said to be the motive. Peiris also dropped a bombshell: Deshabandu, he claimed, had contacted officers stationed at the Imaduwa Expressway exit prior to the shooting. “We must consider his conduct before and after the incident,” he said, adding that one police sergeant had died in the incident—a loss for which Rs. 1.5 million from the police fund, and an additional Rs. 2.5 million (allegedly facilitated by then-President Ranil Wickremesinghe) had been paid as compensation.
That compensation, Peiris pointed out, wasn’t just problematic—it was illegal. “He tried to bury this criminal act under a pile of hush money. That, Your Honour, is not justice. That is concealment.”
Peiris made it clear that the Attorney General's Department would challenge the bail decision before the High Court. He further warned that the release of Deshabandu would send a chilling message to potential witnesses—some of whom, he claimed, had only come forward through painstaking investigative effort. “These aren’t witnesses walking in off the street,” he said. “They had to be found. And if word spreads that Deshabandu is free, those who haven't come forward yet might never do so.”
As if that weren’t enough drama, the defence attorneys then requested that Deshabandu be allowed to leave the courthouse under secure police escort—to which Peiris delivered one of the most biting lines of the day: “Tomorrow, when a cattle thief asks to walk out with security, will we grant that too? This man hid from law enforcement for 20 days. Now he wants a convoy?”
In a scene fit for cinematic climax, Deshabandu—until recently an untouchable symbol of law enforcement—was transported from Dumbara Prison to Matara Court under tight security. Though the court was meant to deliver the bail order in the morning, the announcement was delayed twice due to what were described as “technical difficulties.” Few believe that was mere coincidence.
The next hearing in this high-profile case is now scheduled for May 22. Between now and then, all eyes will be on how the Attorney General’s Department moves to overturn this decision—and whether justice in Sri Lanka is truly blind, or just looking the other way.
-By A Staff writer
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by (2025-04-11 15:51:50)
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