The Attorney General today (08) informed the Colombo High Court that Nadun Chinthaka Wickramaratne, alias “Harak Kata,” a notorious drug trafficker accused of conspiring to escape while in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), will be held in detention until the conclusion of his trial.
The case was taken up before Colombo High Court Judge Sujeewa Nishshanka.
At the previous hearing, state counsel had indicated that the accused would be moved to remand custody upon the expiration of the detention order issued by the Secretary of Defence under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). However, Senior State Counsel Sajith Bandara, appearing for the Attorney General, informed the court today that considering security concerns, the Defence Secretary had decided to extend the detention order until the trial concludes.
The announcement drew strong objections from defence counsel Jaliya Samarasinghe, who argued that his client had already been held in detention for nearly two years. He stressed that placing the accused under a fresh detention order instead of transferring him to remand custody was unjustifiable.
The court was further informed that the accused will continue to be held under the custody of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) at the Tangalle Old Prison.
“Harak Kata” appeared before court today via Zoom technology. The case was adjourned until September 24 for further hearing.
Meanwhile, four other accused named in the case were physically produced before court today, and prison authorities were ordered to present them again at the next hearing.
