Mt. Lavinia magistrate Mohamed Sahabdeen has permitted the CID to exhume Wickramatunga’s remains on September 27 for a fresh inquest.

This follows conflicting reports given by the then Kalubowila JMO Sunil Kumara, government analyst and other medical experts.

No gunshot wounds

The JMO report claimed gunshot wounds in ‘The Sunday Leader’ editor’s body following the fatal attack on him at Attidiya on 08 January 2009, the CID told courts while making submissions.

However, Prof. Mohan Silva, who tried to save his life by surgery, reported seeing no gunshot wounds.

This has been confirmed by the government analyst.

The CID has revealed a close connection between Sunil Kumara and senior DIG Prasanna Nanayakkara, who is under interrogation.

Questions have been raised over a telephone conversation they have had, and the CID suspects the policeman had instructed the JMO to give a misleading report.

Instructions of the political authority

Former IGP Jayantha Wickramaratne too, is accused over a missing notebook of Wickramatunga, and of distorting investigation reports on the instruction of the political authority at the time.

Sunil Kumara is presently a professor of forensic medicine at SAITM, whose vice chancellor Dr. Ananda Samarasekara has allegedly given reports claiming ruggerite Wasim Thajudeen had died in a vehicle accident and caused the dissappearance of his bone samples.

Courts have rejected an anticipatory bail application filed by Samarasekara.

Army intelligence

In 2009, police arrested Army intelligence officer Kandegedara Piyawansa on suspicion over the Wickramatunga murder.

A person who had supplied phone SIMs to Piyawansa had died while in CID custody under mysterious circumstances.

Piyawansa, who was later given bail, had been paid salaries and allowances as well as a Rs. 01millon payment by the Army in the duration he had been in remand custody.

The CID has questioned former head of State Intelligence Keerthi Gajanayake and ex-CID chief Chandra Wagista, who are accused of covering up the murder probe.

Also, former IGP Mahinda Balasuriya is suspected over his handover of the investigation to the TID, not to the CID.

Balasuriya has rejected this charge, as well as a claim that he had connections with the then officer in charge of Army intelligence Amal Karunasekara.

However, police say Karunasekara had met with Balasuriya and the then defence secretary with the intention of blaming the Wickramatunga killing on the then Army commander.