Gold-Color T56: Duminda's Defense Cites LTTE-Era Upbringing in Court

COLOMBO (News 1st); A gold-colored T56 assault rifle discovered in a luxury apartment complex in Havelock, Wellawatte led to the remand of former Minister Duminda Dissanayake until June 5, as ordered by Mount Lavinia Magistrate Chathurika de Silva.

The weapon, found during a police operation, triggered a high-profile investigation involving Dissanayake and a Kazakhstani woman, both of whom were taken into custody. The case has since raised serious questions about the origin and possession of the unlicensed firearm.

Appearing on behalf of the former minister, President’s Counsel Sampath Mendis told the court that Dissanayake had grown up in Anuradhapura, a region once plagued by LTTE terrorist threats. His father, Berty Premalal Dissanayake, was a former Cabinet Minister and Chief Minister of the North Central Province. Due to the security risks at the time, the family had been under the protection of police, military, and special forces personnel.

Mendis argued that Dissanayake was raised in an environment where firearms were commonplace, and therefore, the presence of a weapon did not carry the same significance for him. He further stated that there was no logical reason for the former minister to hand over such a weapon to a 68-year-old woman, as alleged.

“This is merely a chain of implausible circumstances,” Mendis told the court, adding that under Section 43 of the Firearms Ordinance, the prosecution must first prove that the accused knowingly possessed an unlicensed weapon.

Representing the Kazakhstani woman, Attorney-at-Law Thikshana Pathirana requested bail, arguing that there was no evidence to suggest she had any knowledge of the firearm.

However, Senior Deputy Solicitor General Damithini de Silva, appearing for the state, opposed bail for both suspects.

She noted that only ten days had passed since the arrests and that investigators had yet to record statements from Dissanayake’s security personnel and staff. Releasing the suspects at this stage, she warned, could lead to witness interference.

Given the ongoing nature of the investigation and the potential for obstruction, Magistrate de Silva denied bail and ordered that all suspects be remanded until June 5, when the case will be taken up again.