Former minister Wimal Weerawansa has been summoned to appear before the Central Crime Investigation Bureau on Friday to record a statement in the contempt of court investigation into his remarks at an SLPP rally in Anuradhapura, NewsFirst reported.

It is the first time the subject of the inquiry has himself been called in. Friday falls on 2 October.

The investigation concerns a statement Weerawansa made at a Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna rally in Anuradhapura on 12 September, about the remanding of MP Namal Rajapaksa, and whether it amounts to contempt of court.

The footage has now been secured

At an earlier hearing the court ordered that unedited footage of the speech be obtained from the relevant media channels. Police have now told the court that footage has been secured.

That closes a step LankaNewz reported on 29 September, when Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara told Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama that unedited recordings were being handed over following directives issued to seven media institutions. At that point the material was in transit; police now say they hold it.

The distinction matters because the inquiry turns entirely on what Weerawansa actually said — an element no outlet has yet reported. Broadcast edits would not settle it; the unedited recordings are the evidence that would.

How the inquiry started

The investigation is being conducted under an order issued by the court to the Inspector General of Police. That order came on 18 September, when the Chief Magistrate directed the IGP to investigate after Bandara — appearing for the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) — asked the court to examine the rally remarks and produced a compact disc of the speech.

The question arose inside the bribery proceedings against Rajapaksa, who was refused bail and remanded in the Krrish and Airbus cases before the same magistrate.

An unexplained change in the court number

NewsFirst reports that police “recently reported facts on the matter to the Colombo Magistrate’s Court No. 01.”

Every earlier account — NewsFirst’s own filing of 22 September, Hiru News on 29 September and the Daily Mirror — placed those facts before Colombo Magistrate’s Court No. 2. No outlet explains the change, and it may be a transcription slip rather than a transfer between courts. LankaNewz has not been able to confirm which court now holds the file.

What has not happened

No finding has been made against Weerawansa. A summons to record a statement is an investigative step, not a charge, and no timeframe has been given for the CCIB to report back to court.

The bureau conducting the inquiry is itself under scrutiny on an unrelated matter: its head, Senior DIG Ranmal Kodituwakku, gave a statement to the CID on Tuesday over the Colombo Port methamphetamine seizure, and the IGP has asked the National Police Commission to approve his transfer.

Weerawansa separately faces a Court of Appeal contempt matter over a July protest, which is a distinct proceeding before a different court.

Update, October 2 — the day itself. Hiru News reported on Friday morning that Weerawansa was set to arrive at the Central Crime Investigation Bureau this morning to give his statement, a second verified newsroom on the summons. Newswire had earlier put the appointment at 10.00 a.m.

Hiru attributes the contempt allegation to the Attorney General, who told the court the former minister made statements amounting to contempt of court at the SLPP’s Anuradhapura rally — the same account of the origin given in earlier filings, with the investigation following the court’s directive to the Inspector General of Police.

No outlet has yet reported whether the statement was recorded, how long Weerawansa was at the bureau, or what he said. The substance of the rally remarks remains unreported by every outlet that has covered this case.

One piece of surrounding context has changed since this article was written. The National Police Commission has cancelled the transfers of several senior officers, including Senior DIG Ranmal Kodituwakku, the head of the bureau conducting this inquiry — so the transfer referred to below did not take effect.

Sources

NewsFirst filed this at 7.16am Colombo time. No other verified newsroom had carried the summons at the time of writing; the Daily Mirror and Hiru News listings and Newswire’s front page were all checked.