Speaker of Parliament Dr. Jagath Wickremeratne has announced that the motion to remove suspended Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon, who is currently in remand custody, will be tabled in Parliament on April 8.

The announcement was made during a meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Affairs held today (April 2).

MP Namal Rajapaksa weighing in on the concerns regarding the motion said that the matter being debated in Parliament when there’s an ongoing Supreme Court case raises several concerns.

Meanwhile MP Rauff Hakeem said that the government intended to proceed with the motion despite certain limitations under standing orders. (Newswire)

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The six suspects who surrendered to the Matara Magistrate’s Court and were remanded in connection with the Weligama shooting incident—linked to suspended IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon—have been granted bail by the Matara Magistrate’s Court.

The six suspects had surrendered to the Matara Magistrate’s Court this morning.

The court ordered the release of the suspects on two surety bails of Rs. 200,000 each.

The suspects had also been ordered to report to the Criminal Investigation Department tomorrow to record statements.

They were wanted in connection to the shooting incident in front of a prominent hotel in Weligama in 2023.

Suspended IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon is accused of orchestrating the shooting involving officers from the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD), Weligama Police, and the Special Task Force.

The incident resulted in the death of a CCD officer and injuries to another.

After an open warrant was issued to arrest Deshabandu Tennakoon, he surrendered before the Matara Magistrate’s Court after evading arrest for 20 days.  (Newswire)

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Matara Magistrate Aruna Indrajith Buddhadasa today ordered legal action against individuals who aided and abetted suspended Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon in evading arrest.

The decision follows a Court of Appeal ruling that strongly condemned Tennakoon’s actions.

On March 17, the Court of Appeal dismissed Tennakoon’s writ petition seeking to prevent the execution of an arrest order issued by the Matara Magistrate’s Court in connection with a shooting incident.

The court then directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to take immediate steps to arrest Tennakoon and present him before the court.

Tennakoon was wanted over a 2023 shooting incident near a hotel in Weligama, involving officers from the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD), Weligama Police, and the Special Task Force.

The incident resulted in the death of a CCD officer and injuries to another, with investigations alleging Tennakoon’s involvement.

A warrant for his arrest was issued on February 28, 2025, along with an international travel ban. Despite this, he evaded capture, prompting the launch of a joint-special operation to capture Tennakoon. (Newswire)

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MP Hesha Withanage has backed his allegations against Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) by presenting an Executive Committee meeting minute in Parliament, where he claimed that payments to suspended Police Chief Deshabandu Tennakoon were approved.

According to the document, the SLC Executive Committee had appointed Tennakoon, then Senior Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Western Province, as an Advisor to the Security Consultant of Sri Lanka Cricket.

The contract, effective from August 16, 2021, included a monthly allowance of Rs. 150,000, 200 liters of fuel per month, a Rs. 5,000 mobile allowance, a laptop, a mobile phone, and medical insurance, MP Withanage told Parliament.

MP Withanage tabled the document in Parliament in response to SLC’s recent denial of his claims. The cricket board had previously dismissed allegations that Tennakoon was paid or provided with perks, calling them baseless and false.

MP Withanage criticized the government, stating it had no intention of preventing the accused group from contesting the upcoming SLC election on March 31. He also accused the current sports minister of supporting a corrupt faction within SLC and announced plans to take legal action over the matter.

“This denial by SLC is irrelevant,” Withanage said. “We have a copy of the report approved by the Executive Committee.”

SLC, in its earlier statement, maintained that it only engages with security personnel as part of its commitment to ensuring safety during international cricket events and refuted any payments or appointments involving Tennakoon. (Newswire)

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