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Monday, 27 April 2015 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
In a petition filed in the Supreme Court, Ratwatte alleged that he was unlawfully arrested in violation of his fundamental rights as set out in Articles 12 and 13 of the Constitution and named Minister of Power and Energy Patali Champika Ranawaka, Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Chairman V.D.A.S. Wijepala and several officers attached to the Police Special Investigations Unit as respondents.
Ratwatte was arrested on 4 March along with three other state officials – M.C Delgoda who was attached to the Minister of Power and Energy, N. Ranatunga, a Treasury official representing former Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundara and Sri Lanka Ports Authority Harbour Master, Ravi Jayawickrama
–on charges of criminal breach of trust based on a complaint originating from the offices of Champika Ranawaka.
The complaint had alleged that the importation of coal to fuel the plant had been carried out in violation of stipulated legal procedures and had caused a loss to the CEB and by extension, the State.
Ratwatte, Delgoda, Ranatunga and Jayawickrama all served as Directors on the Board of Lanka Coal Company, a company incorporated in January 2008 for the sole purpose of procuring coal for the Norochcholai plant, alongside current CEB Chairman Wijepala and CEB Chairman at the time of the deal, Prof. W. Abeywickrama.
Speaking to reporters shortly after recording a statement with the police on 5 March in connection to the coal deal, Ranawaka stated that “suspicious deals” which had taken place in the power and energy sector over the last decade would have to be investigated.
“We are happy that the Police responded to our request swiftly and launched inquiries. Our intention is to make sure that those who misappropriated are punished,” he had stated.
Ratwattein turn has denied any wrong-doing in both the Magistrate’s Court and now the Supreme Court. His petition also called into question why CEB Chairman Wijepala and Prof. Abeywickrama had not also been arrested or produced as suspects in the case.
“This demonstrates the fact that the arrest of the Petitioner is a politically motivated, malicious action instigated by the 4th, 5th and 6th Respondents [Wijepala, Ranawaka and Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy, B.M.S. Batagoda] and that the petitioner had been singled out for discriminatory treatment and arbitrary arrest which was actuated by collateral considerations that do not withstand objective scrutiny,” the petition alleged.
Ratwattefurther alleged that all actions taken by the Lanka Coal Company had been carried out with the full knowledge of the Minister of Power and Energy and his Secretary and not at the sole discretion of the Directors of the company.
He also called on the Supreme Court to issue an interim order directing the Magistrate’s Court of Colombo to release his passport which has been impounded since the day of his arrest.
