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Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne is the highest-ranking army officer ever detained by a court for alleged crimes committed in Sri Lanka in the past war, when the armed forces were accused of serious abuses against civilians.
The powerful Chief of the Defense Staff was arrested after revealing that he had attempted to remove a key witness over the weekend and have a police officer removed from custody. the police.
"I refuse bail, because your position allows you to influence witnesses and disrupt investigations," said magistrate Ranga Dbadanayake in a crowded courthouse in Colombo.
Wijegunaratne, who arrived at court with soldiers, denied that he had protected the prime suspect in the high-profile murders – a naval intelligence officer – or attempted to conceal the crimes.
Wijegunaratne, who was chosen by the president, appeared in military uniform and was reprimanded by magistrate Dbadanayake, who had hinted that he was attempting to intimidate the court.
Earlier, his entourage attacked journalists who were trying to photograph Wijegunaratne when he arrived in court. A naval officer was later arrested by the police for badault.
Three arrest warrants were issued against Wijegunaratne this month, but the highest military official refused to surrender, even going to Mexico as the president's envoy.
Senior military figures have been charged with serious crimes and human rights violations committed by civilians during decades of war in Sri Lanka, but have generally benefited from the impunity of prosecution.
Investigators told the court that Wijegunaratne had helped the main defendant in the murders – Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi, a naval intelligence officer.
He was accused of kidnapping and killing wealthy men in the late teens and early twenties to obtain ransom in the last days of the war that took place. was completed in 2009. Their bodies have never been found.
Wijegunaratne, who is not directly related to the murders, would have helped Hettiarachchi to go to Malaysia to escape arrest. The naval officer came back and was arrested in August.
Military officials were accused of kidnapping and detaining civilians for ransom during the war, among other serious violations documented by human rights groups.
Several intelligence officers are being prosecuted for the murder of critical journalists in regard to Mahinda Rajapakse, former president, whose mandate was tainted with allegations of crimes of war and serious violations of human rights.
His recent controversial appointment as Prime Minister by the Sri Lankan President has plunged the country into crisis, with Parliament having twice voted against the strong leader of the time of the war taking control of the country. government.
Rajapakse, who refused to retreat while Sri Lanka drifts into a political vacuum, and several members of his family are under investigation for fraud and murder during his 10 years presidency.
But these investigations were questioned after his unexpected return to the head of government in an alliance with President Maithripala Sirisena.
Rajapakse led Sri Lanka when government troops repressed the Tamil insurgency in May 2009, ending 37 years of fierce and brutal fighting.
The last days of the offensive have been marked by serious abuses, according to human rights groups. A UN panel said that 40,000 civilians may have been killed in the latter stages of the war.
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