-By LeN Colombo Correspondent
(Lanka-e-News -17.July.2025, 11.10 PM) In a significant development in the long-running investigation into the disappearance and suspected murder of LeN journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, Sri Lanka’s Director of Criminal Investigation, Shani Abeysekara, has been officially named as a witness in the ongoing High Court trial.
This revelation was made before the Colombo Permanent Trial-at-Bar on Tuesday (16 July) by the Attorney General’s Department. The court, presided over by a panel comprising Justices Namal Balalle, Mahesh Weeraman, and Sujeewa Nissanka, convened to continue proceedings in the high-profile case involving several military intelligence officers accused of abduction and homicide.
President’s Counsel Upul Kumarapperuma, appearing for the victim's family, raised the issue of Mr Abeysekara’s absence from the witness list. He informed the bench that as far back as 29 November 2022, a formal application had been made to list Mr Abeysekara — the chief investigator in the Eknaligoda case — as a material witness. At the time, Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, who represented the state, had assured court that the request would be duly considered.
However, despite the passage of more than 18 months since that application, the former CID Director remained absent from the state’s witness schedule, Mr Kumarapperuma noted with concern.
Responding to the observation, Deputy Solicitor General Wasantha Perera, appearing for the Attorney General in Tuesday’s session, clarified that Mr Abeysekara had in fact already been named as witness No. 109 in the case. This confirmation appears to settle procedural ambiguity that has hovered over the inclusion of the high-profile officer, whose leadership during the critical phases of the investigation has been widely acknowledged.
The court accordingly adjourned the hearing until 18 July for further proceedings.
The trial, among the most closely watched in post-war Sri Lanka, centres around the alleged abduction and killing of Prageeth Eknaligoda, a journalist with the Lanka eNews outlet who vanished on or around 25 January 2010, just days before the presidential election that year.
The accused — primarily comprising officers from the Sri Lanka Army's Military Intelligence Corps — include:
Brigadier Shammi Arjuna Kumararatne (then Lt. Colonel commanding the Girithale army camp),
W.D. Upasena (alias Suresh),
R.M.P.K. Rajapaksa (alias Nadan),
S.M. Ravindra Rupasena (alias Ranji),
Chaminda Kumara Aberathna,
Kanishka Gunaratna,
Aiyyasamy Balasubramaniam,
Tharanga Prasad Gamage, and
T.E.R. Peiris.
According to the prosecution, the suspects—along with unidentified others—are accused of having abducted and illegally detained Eknaligoda in the areas of Girithale, Habarana, and Kottawa before causing his death. The charges, filed under the Penal Code, include abduction with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine, conspiracy, and murder.
Eknaligoda’s disappearance has long been shrouded in controversy, widely believed to be politically motivated. At the time of his disappearance, he was known for his vocal criticism of the Rajapaksa government and was investigating sensitive issues, including alleged use of chemical weapons during the final stages of the civil war.
The case has repeatedly come under public scrutiny, not least because of the alleged role played by high-ranking military officers and the sluggish pace of judicial proceedings under successive administrations.
Shani Abeysekara, then Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), spearheaded the pivotal phase of the probe during a brief interlude in 2015–2019, when the CID enjoyed relative independence. His testimony is expected to shed crucial light on both investigative findings and institutional obstacles encountered during the process.
Mr Abeysekara, however, has himself faced mounting political and legal pressure since the return of the Rajapaksa-aligned administration in 2019. He was suspended, arrested on separate charges many consider retaliatory, and later reinstated under the current National People's Power (NPP) government.
The inclusion of Mr Abeysekara as a witness may signal a renewed willingness by the legal system to pursue accountability in cases historically hampered by state interference.
However, questions persist over the durability of such efforts. With the trial scheduled to resume on 18 July, observers await to see whether the prosecution will effectively utilise Mr Abeysekara’s testimony to bolster a case that symbolises the broader struggle for press freedom and justice in post-war Sri Lanka.
The family of Prageeth Eknaligoda, particularly his wife Sandya Eknaligoda, has remained steadfast in her pursuit of truth for over 15 years — becoming a global symbol for courage in the face of impunity.
The outcome of this case may yet determine whether Sri Lanka is prepared to confront its past or remain shackled by it.
-By LeN Colombo Correspondent
---------------------------
by (2025-07-17 19:41:33)
Read 3042 Times
Leave a Reply
0 discussion on this news