Avant Garde pacts revoked; suspects to be prosecuted

Navy directed to take over floating ar

President M.Sirisena-Minister of Justice- Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe-Law and Order Minister Thilak Marapana

by Zacki Jabbar-November 11, 2015, 10:25 pm

President Maithripala Sirisena has directed that all agreements between Rakna Araksha Lanka Limited and Avant Garde Maritime Services be revoked and the offenders be prosecuted based on the original report of the Attorney General’s investigation into the company’s dealings.

The order had been made at a special meeting the President chaired on the Avant Garde controversy at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday, Cabinet Spokesman and Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said last night.

He revealed that as as a first step, Avant Garde had been ordered to hand over all its weapons said to number around 3,400 to the Sri Lanka Navy. "The Inspector General of Police has been instructed to pursue legal action based on the Attorney General’s original findings on Avant Garde’s operations, which were first presented to the National Executive Council earlier this year."

Some illegal weapons were recovered from Avant Garde’s possession recently, Senaratne, noted, adding that more evidence was bound to surface in the coming days and weeks.

The AG’s original Investigation Report had

recommended that criminal action be instituted against top officials of Avant Garde and former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, but those recommendations had not been implemented due instructions given by a " Minister", he alleged.

Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa was not available for comment at the time this edition went to press.