Police Headquarters hasn’t responded to a Right to Information (RTI) query regarding sending a team of police officers to the UK to investigate President Ranil Wickremesinghe visit in September, 2023.Sources said that the RTI request was made on 08 January, this year, by journalist Thilini Ranasinghe.

The above request was forwarded to the Senior Deputy Inspector General of the Criminal Investigation and Financial Crimes Investigation Unit on January 09, but the CID has not provided the above information to date.

The appeal application in this regard was forwarded to the Inspector General of Police on January 29.

According to the Right to Information Act, when such a request is made, all relevant details must be provided within a period of 14 days.

The delay in providing information on the money spent by the government on the police officers who visited England has raised serious suspicions in many quarters.

Responding to an inquiry in this regard, a leader of a major political party stated that the requested information is not being provided as the amount spent on the London visit by the police is equivalent to the amount stated by the Criminal Investigation Department that was spent on the visit of the VIII Executive President to England.

The government has alleged Wickremesinghe spent Rs 16.2 mn for his 2023 September UK visit.

The Central Bank yesterday (07) said that there was absolutely no basis for the recent claim regarding the loss of USD 808 bn.

A CB economist said so responding to The Island query regarding SJB MP Dayasiri Jayasekera’ raising concern over a recent IMF report in which reference was made to USD 808.

The official said: “It looks like this is an error in compilation of balance of payments statistics.”

MP Jayasekera last week called for an investigation by the parliamentary committee on public finance.

Manipay police have arrested two persons in connection with the ongoing investigation into the killing of a person who returned from Switzerland recently.

The suspects were apprehended in the Tellippalai area.

Police said that following the killing, gold jewellery and other valuables had been robbed. Police believe that the suspect had come to buy jewellery on the invitation of the victim and then killed him before making off the gold.

The incident took place on o6 June. The suspects were to be produced before the Jaffna Magistrate.

By Dinasena Ratugamage