The Colombo High Court has ordered that organised crime figure Nadun Chinthaka Wickremeratne, alias “Harak Kata”, be transferred from the old Tangalle Prison to a prison with adequate security arrangements.
The order was made by High Court Judge Buddhika C. Ragala when the case was taken up on Monday.
Wickremeratne and four other accused face charges over an alleged conspiracy to facilitate an escape while he was held in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department.
Attorney General to appeal
State Counsel appearing for the Attorney General informed the court that an appeal will be filed against the ruling delivered last week, in which the same judge held that the charges could not be maintained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
In that ruling on July 30, Judge Ragala held that any charges against the defendants should instead be brought under the Penal Code, and said the Attorney General should notify the court if amended indictments were to be filed.
The judge linked Monday’s transfer order directly to that decision, noting that with the PTA charges removed, the accused should be held in a facility with the necessary security arrangements rather than at Tangalle.
The court also took up bail applications filed by the accused and fixed August 20 for its order on those requests.
A high-profile detainee
Wickremeratne is among the most closely watched detainees in Sri Lanka’s prison system, and the question of where he is held has repeatedly drawn official attention.
The transfer order comes as authorities tighten security across the prison network following the unrest at Mahara Prison over the weekend, which left one inmate dead and caused damage estimated at more than Rs. 150 million. Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara has said he suspects that unrest may have been coordinated from outside the prison.
