On a complaint by police, the court has given permission for the exhumation of Ranaweera’s body, which is due to take place today (02).

Relatives suspect that Udayanga had killed Noel, who had come to know about his arms deals.

Attanagalle magistrate M.Y.M. Irshadeen ordered the unearthing of the body of Noel, after his mother Josephine Nona told the court that the death of her son was a mystery.

Big bruise in the neck

The then ambassador Udayanga had told the family that Noel had died in a road accident in Southern Russia on 11 June 2014.

His body was brought to Colombo by air four days later, and at the funeral parlour, relatives have seen a big bruise in his neck.

Despite the suspicions of the relatives, Udayanga has told them that all the investigations had been carried out in Russia, and that a fresh investigation was unnecessary.

Until the burial on June 18, Udayanga and his men had remained at the funeral house.

Josephine Nona said she lodged a complaint with Attanagalle police on March 22, as she could not obtain justice from the previous regime.

A resident of 112 D, Welikadamulla, Nittambuwa, Noel was sent for by Udayanga on 21 July 2002 to work at his ‘Club Lanka’ restaurant in Ukraine.

After becoming the ambassador, Udayanga had got Noel into the embassy staff.

Joint account

Udayanga had maintained a joint account with Noel, from whom he had received the money to be deposited.

At the 2013 CHOGM in Sri Lanka, Noel accompanied a 60 member Russian delegation to a business forum.

The death certificate says the cause of death of Noel was due to wounds in his chest area.

Quoting the Lankadeepa correspondent, lankaenews website says Udayanga had dodged questions raised at the funeral house.