President’s alleged security breach:

Namal blames PSD

by Ranil Wijayapala

Namal at CID HQ on Friday

The CID investigation on the alleged security breach of President Maithripala Sirisena in Angunakolapelessa is trying to ascertain as to how the Corporal of the Army Commando Regiment was allowed to move out of the venue without checking his weapon after three eye witnesses confirmed that he was in possession of a weapon at the time of detention by the STF, police sources said yesterday.

Hambantota district MP Namal Rajapaksa when questioned by the CID on Friday over the incident had reportedly defended himself putting the blame on the Presidential Security Division for not carrying out their duty properly, CID sources said.

He had told the CID that it was the duty of the Presidential Security Division to screen people attending the functions of the President, the sources added.

The alleged security breach incident of President Maitripala Sirisena was reported on April 25 at the SLFP district representatives’ conference in Angunakolapelessa.

The CID launched investigations on the alleged security breach incident after it was reported that a soldier in civilian clothes carrying a weapon was detected close to the President by the STF personnel providing VIP security to President Maitiripala Sirisena at the Angunakolapelessa meeting.

Later it was found that the Corporal attached to the Army Commando Regiment who had carried a weapon to the venue was a part of the security detail that went with MP Namal Rajapaksa to the conference. MP Rajapaksa, according to sources, had told the CID on Friday that he had taken the security details along with him to the venue but screening them when entering the venue was the duty of the Presidential Security Division.

He had also told the CID that Army Corporal in question had gone there not in his vehicle but in his back-up vehicle.

The driver of the back-up vehicle providing security for MP Namal Rajapaksa had given a statement to the CID that Corporal Senaka Kumara had attended the meeting after putting his personal weapon in the cubbyhole of the vehicle.

“Therefore, the CID teams investigating the incident assume that the weapon in possession of the Army Corporal was illegal and they had called for report from the Army about the details of the weapons issued to the Army Corporal”, the sources added.

However, the Army is yet to submit the information to the CID.

The investigations have faced a snag as none of the STF nor PSD personnel had checked the weapon in possession of Corporal Senaka before he was allowed to move out of the venue.

The CID is conducting further investigations on the incident. According to sources, the CID conducting investigations on the incident is now in possession of three eye witnesses who had seen Corporal Senaka Kumara, the Army Corporal in question, in possession of a weapon when he was detained by the STF personnel close to the President.

However, he had been allowed to move out from the venue by the PSD personnel without checking his weapon.