Police have formally rejected statements made by former MP Udaya Gammanpila over the death of Treasury official Ranga Nishantha, calling his remarks false and contradictory to official findings, and said he will be summoned to record a statement.
At a media briefing, Police said Gammanpila’s claim that the victim’s wife had complained describing the death as suspicious is not true. The former minister had earlier questioned whether the death was a suicide or staged to appear as one, and called for clarification on fingerprint evidence.
Police said initial investigations — including the post-mortem examination, forensic analysis and findings by the Government Analyst — found no signs of a struggle or external assault. The injuries were self-inflicted and the death has been concluded as a suicide based on available evidence, officials said. Gammanpila’s comments contradict findings by investigators, forensic experts, and the Government Analyst.
Police added that Gammanpila will be summoned to record a statement and may be required to present evidence before the Kuliyapitiya Magistrate’s Court. Any concerns over the findings can be raised during judicial proceedings, officials said.
The escalation marks the first formal legal step against an opposition figure in the controversy surrounding Nishantha’s death. Gammanpila, who leads Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, had earlier called for a fresh forensic panel, saying toxicology and pathology tests had not been completed before the suicide finding was reached.
Nishantha had reportedly lodged a complaint with the Criminal Investigation Department over an alleged cyber fraud before he was found dead at his residence on April 30. The underlying USD 2.5 million Treasury cyber heist probe remains active, with the case framed in Parliament this week as a cybercrime rather than a technical debt default.
Source: Newswire.
