Rajapaksa Ally Former Diplomat Linked To Thajudeen Investigations

December 07, 2015

Former Sri Lankan diplomat Sepala Ratnayake's name has been mentioned in connection with the investigation into the death of former Rugby player Wasim Thajudeen, top Police sources told Asian Mirror. 

Ratnayake, who was attached to the Sri Lankan mission in London, had allegedly assisted one of the suspects of Thajudeen's case to escape to London, the source further added. 

"Some key figures whom we have identified as possible suspects of the Thajudeen case are still in Sri Lanka. They cannot escape now. However, another person who is linked to the case is presently overseas and we later found out that he left the country, some time back, with the support of Ratnayaka," the Police source further added. 

A lawyer by profession, Ratnayake was serving in the Presidential Secretariat as the chief legal officer at the time and was posted as the Minister (Consular & Immigration) in the Sri Lankan High Commission in London in November 2013.

Ratnayake is already facing a court case in Sri Lanka involving  a 14- year old child who appeared in a news item during the last Presidential election. 

In the news item aired on the state- run ITN at the time, the child claimed that Maithripala Sirisena, who was the Common Candidate of the Opposition at the time, was detaining his mother. 

This incident led to legal action involving eight suspects including some high profile officials including Ratnayake.

It transpired in court  that an Interpol ‘red warrant’ had been issued against the former diplomat.

Ratnayake is known to be a close ally of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.