The Ratnapura High Court has sentenced former Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) of the Sabaragamuwa Province, Lalith Jayasinghe, to 5 years in prison.
This sentence was delivered today in a case against the former Senior DIG for influencing the Kahawatte Police OIC to avoid arresting MP Premalal Jayasekera in connection with a 2015 shooting incident targeting a group setting up a political event platform in Ratnapura before the 2015 Presidential Election.
On January 5, 2015, the Pelmadulla Magistrate issued an arrest warrant for MP Jayasekara and several local politicians over their alleged involvement in the shooting incident at an election rally venue for former President Maithripala Sirisena, the common opposition candidate at the time.
A political supporter involved in decorating the election stage was wounded in the shooting and died in the hospital on January 8.
Former Deputy Minister Premalal Jayasekara, former Sabaragamuwa PC member Nilantha Jayakody, and former Kahawatta PS chairman Vajira Darshana were arrested in January 2015 in connection with the incident. MP Jayasekara was later released on bail in December of that year.
In July 2020, Jayasekara and the other two accused were sentenced to death for the fatal shooting incident by the Ratnapura High Court.
However, in March 2022, the Court of Appeal acquitted MP Premalal Jayasekara and two others of charges related to the shooting incident, citing a lack of evidence that the three accused possessed firearms at the time of the incident or fired shots.
