Sri Lanka’s Black Monday: Former minister Johnston Fernando gives statement to CID

ECONOMYNEXT – Former Sri Lanka Highways Minister Johnston Fernando arrived at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Tuesday (24) morning to give a statement on the violence unleashed on peaceful protestors by government supporters on May 09, police said.

On May 17, the Attorney General issued a court order summoning 22 people including Fernando and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MPs Sanath Nishantha and Sanjeewa Edirimanna as well as Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) of the Western Province Deshabandu Thennakoon.

According to videos circulated online, several SLPP MPs who were present at even at organised at Temple Trees, the prime minister’s official residence, had encouraged party supporters gathered at the event to attack anti-government protestors camped outside Temple Trees and at the presidential secretariat.

So far, over 1,240 people have been arrested over the attack in Colombo and the retaliatory mob violence that followed around the country which saw the destruction of public property and private properties of MPs and their supporters .

Last Friday (200, SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa told parliament that the CID had already recorded his statement and that SLPP members suspected to be behind the May 09 attack were also handed over to the police for further investigations. (Colombo/May24/2022 )