Family alleges foul play over Lalith Kotelawala demise

Tuesday, 7 November 2023 01:16 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Giving evidence at inquest proceedings sister-in-law says Kotelawala was kept in a dark room and properties were written by a group prior to his death

The sister-in-law of Lalith Kotelawala yesterday told the Colombo Additional Magistrate that the business tycoon was held hostage by a group in a dark room in the latter part of his life and that his death may have been deliberate.

Giving evidence at the inquest proceedings, Sherene Wijerathne told Court that she was one of the few who stood with Kotelawala after his fall from grace following the Golden Key debacle. “We as a family were very close and he lost all trust in people after he found out that they let him down in Golden Key. A group comprising lawyers and former policemen got around him and put him into a fear psychosis,” she told the Court.

She detailed providing names of how the group who first offered to help collect documents of court cases after his release for Rs. 10,000 a month compelled Kotelawala to write valuable properties in their own names. “They kept him in a dark-tinted room with no access to the family. His only movement was from a room he was kept to his boardroom which was 10 feet away.”

Hafeel Farisz appearing on behalf of Wijerathne objected to the Bambalapitiya Police leading evidence saying that they were biased since the inception of the investigation.

Wijerathne said that the family was given no access to him and had to obtain permission from the group prior to any communication.

“We could not speak to him. They had security guards all the time and even if we were to give a call that was with their permission. Why did they go to Lanka Hospitals in Narahenpita when Durdans was only 20 kilometres from where he was held?” she asked.

She said that the group compelled Kotelawala to move out from his family home in Elibank Road and moved him to his office on Dickmans Road.

“You may wonder why we didn’t do anything to rescue him during this time. We couldn’t because we as a family didn’t know how to deal with the Police and these nefarious individuals,” she said.

She also said that the Bambalapitiya Police were acting together with the group stating that this was the reason the Police gave a statement to the press stating that the death was due to pneumonia when the Judicial Medical Officers said it was under investigation.

“They had taken all the property from him and then they decided it was time for him to go,” she said.

Counsel Hafeel Farisz with Shannon Thilekarathne and Sanjeewa Kodithuwakku appeared for Sherene Wijerathne. Anuja Premarathne PC appeared for a group of lawyers whose names transpired in the proceedings. The inquest was postponed to today.