The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has informed former Senior Assistant Secretary of the Defence Ministry Damayanthi Jayaratne to give a statement in connection to the Avant Garde case.
Jayaratne, who is currently residing in Switzerland, can give her statement to the CID by either returning to Sri Lanka or by giving it to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Switzerland, a senior police officer told The Sunday Morning.
The officer explained that the former government official could make the statement to the Embassy and that a CID officer or any other police officer would have to visit Switzerland to record the statement.
According to sources at the Police Department, the letter informing Jayaratne of the requirement to make a statement to the CID was sent last week and she would need to make a statement within two weeks after receiving the letter.
The Attorney General (AG) last month instructed the Acting IGP to produce Avant Garde Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi and seven others before court. The others are Palitha Fernando, K.B.A. Egodawela, V.N. Diyabalanage, D.M.S. Dissanayake, Damayanthi Jayaratne, P.D. Premachandra, and Victor Samaraweera.
Two suspects, namely Senadhipathi and retired Commander Diyabalanage, were overseas when the Supreme Court decision was given on 5 July.
However, on 7 August, the arrest warrants issued on Senadhipathi and retired Army Major General Palitha Fernando over the Avant Garde case were suspended by the Colombo High Court.