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ACMC laments Rishad not being let into Parliament

07 May 2021

By Pamodi Waravita   The All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) yesterday (6) alleged that there was no concrete reason for ACMC Leader and Opposition MP Rishad Bathiudeen to not be allowed to attend Parliament, and expressed their disappointment at the ad hoc investigations being carried out by arresting and detaining Bathiudeen in connection with his alleged involvement in the Easter Sunday terror attacks. Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Bathiudeen’s Attorney-at-Law Rushdhie Habeeb said that he had consulted with Bathiudeen at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) yesterday, where he had learnt that Bathiudeen had merely been questioned on personal details and not anything regarding the Easter Sunday bombings. Habeeb also said that two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests had been conducted on Bathiudeen, both of which were negative, and that as such, there is no reason as to why he should not attend Parliamentary sessions. “If, as the Police Media Spokesman Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Ajith Rohana says, there is new evidence showing that Bathiudeen aided and abetted in and financed the Easter Sunday terror attacks, then that evidence must be presented before a court of law. However, we do not have reason to believe that the Attorney General (AG) had been informed of Bathiudeen’s arrest prior to it,” said Habeeb. Commenting on Minister of Public Security Sarath Weerasekera’s request from the Speaker of the Parliament to not allow Bathiudeen to attend Parliamentary sessions as it could hinder the pending investigations, Habeeb claimed that Weerasekera had not given any reason as to why he believes that Bathiudeen’s attendance would cause a hindrance to the investigations. Habeeb claimed that Bathiudeen’s arrest was illegal, undemocratic, and despicable. Rishad Bathiudeen and his brother Riyaj Bathiudeen were arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act (PTA) on 24 April. DIG Rohana later said that they were arrested on the charges of aiding and abetting and financing the 21 April 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombers, and that accordingly, they are being detained for 90 days. On 5 May, Weerasekera said that Bathiudeen cannot be brought to Parliament. However, AG, President’s Counsel Dappula de Livera has informed the CID that there is no legal obstruction for Bathiudeen to attend Parliamentary sessions.


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