Ponnambalam case officer "partial"

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 July 2000, 16:29 GMT]
Lawyers representing the family of slain All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) leader, Mr.Kumar Ponnambalam has requested the Attorney General to replace the police officer conducting the investigations into the killing with one who would be "impartial", legal sources in Colombo said.

The lawyers have asked the Attorney General to remove Senior Superintendent of Police Banula Wickremasinghe, who has been conducting the investigations, the sources told TamilNet.

According to the sources, the lawyers have stated that SSP Banula Wickremasinghe's conduct during the investigation of Mr.Ponnambalam's killing shows that his sole objective appears to be to exonerate the Government of any complicity of the killing at all costs.

The lawyers have also pointed to the Attorney General that SSP Banula Wickremasinghe was earlier fined for the illegal arrest of a High Court Judge, Mr.Mahanama Tillekeratne, and that the proceedings were presently underway to charge him with contempt of court, the sources added.

Mr.Ponnambalam, a leading human rights lawyer and ACTC leader was shot dead in Colombo by unidentified gunmen on January 5 this year. Sources close to his family said Mr. Ponnambalam could have been targeted for his criticism of the government.