Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) parliamentarian Mujibur Rahman has denied allegations that he was in contact with a jailed drug-trafficking suspect, after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) recorded a statement from him over 53 telephone calls exchanged with the prisoner.
The contact came to light during an ongoing investigation, following the discovery of a mobile phone in the possession of a prison inmate linked to narcotics trafficking. Authorities said the call records were identified during a detailed examination of the seized device.
Responding to the allegations, Rahman said he had not spoken to any suspect and had already provided a statement to the CID. He said the SIM card linked to the number belonged to a female supporter of his party from Maligawatte, who had previously contacted him using it. According to Rahman, the woman later handed the SIM card to a relative who was subsequently remanded after allegedly becoming addicted to drugs.
The MP said there had been no calls made to him from inside the remand prison, contrary to some media reports, and that all calls he received from the number had taken place before the individual was remanded. He added that he had “no knowledge of the suspect and had never spoken to him.”
No charges have been reported against the MP. Rahman, an opposition MP for the SJB, has featured in recent coverage over a leaked vehicle-permit gazette dispute. The discovery of contraband mobile phones inside prisons has been a recurring concern for Sri Lankan authorities, who have repeatedly linked incarcerated traffickers to organised narcotics operations coordinated from behind bars.
Update, May 29: The Island reports that Rahman visited the CID at Police Headquarters on Thursday and was questioned for nearly four hours, confirmed by Police Media Spokesperson Assistant Superintendent F.U. Wootler. In a fuller account given to the paper, the MP said the inmate — described as a drug addict held over serious criminal offences “including murder” — had used a mobile phone from inside the prison to call its owner, a political associate working under him. “When calls came from that number, I would hand over my phone to the associate concerned. I was not aware that the calls were coming from Bogambara Prison,” Rahman said.
