Former Defence Secy. contradicts ex-SIS chief: Any cop can make arrests

By Rathindra Kuruwita

All Police officers were considered peace officers, according to the Criminal Procedure Code and they were authorised to arrest individuals who commited offences, former Defence Secretary Kapila Waidyaratne, on Tuesday, told the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) investigating the Easter Sunday attacks.

Waidyaratne made the above observation when he was asked by Commissioners about former SIS Director SDIG Nilantha Jayawardena’s statement on arresting individuals. SDIG Jayawardena earlier told the PCoI that the SIS could not arrest individuals and that the SIS was performing a civilian job.

Waidyaratne said that the former SIS Director was repeating a traditional view held by intelligence officers but according to the law all police officers were authorised to arrest individuals.

During his tenure as the Defence Secretary he had not received any weekly intelligence report from the former SIS Director, Waidyaratne said.

“When I was questioned by Commission’s police unit they showed me 18 intelligence reports that were supposed to be weekly intelligence reports. However I remember that I had only signed three intelligence reports during my tenure as the Defence Secretary,” he said.

Earlier the former SIS Director said he had sent 40 weekly intelligence reports to Waidyaratne during the latter’ss tenure as the Defence Secretary.