Shani Abeysekara and others in contact with Swiss local staffer

• She is alleged to have made a 108-second long phone call on Nov. 21

By Nimanthi Ranasinghe  

The CID yesterday informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court that an analysis of the phone recordings revealed that some people including former CID Director Shani Abeysekara and former Lake House Chairman Krishantha Cooray appeared to be involved in the alleged abduction incident of Swiss Embassy employee Garnier Banister Francis.

This information was revealed in Court when the case in which Ms. Francis was named as a suspect for causing disrepute to the State was taken up for hearing.   
Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne directed the CID to obtain a report from the Government Analyst based on Ms. Francis’ mobile phone usage.  

The court ordered that the report be submitted as a secret document to the court and to the CID.  Ms. Francis who is on bail appeared in Court yesterday.   
The CID in its report said Ms. Francis had made a 108-seconds long phone call on November 21, 2019 to a phone number registered under AFP journalist Lakna Tharindu Paranamanna at Kalubowila in Dehiwala.   

Ms.Paranamanna had given a statement to the CID on January 17 in which she has said the SIM registered under her name was given to her friend Darisha Bastian, the former Editor in Chief of the Sunday Observer.  

Based on further analysing the phone recordings, it was revealed that Ms. Bastian had been in contact with former Lake House Chairman Krishantha Cooray on 21 occasions.   
Mr. Cooray had used his phone to make phone calls totaling to 225 seconds to interdicted CID Director Shani Abeysekara on November 18, 2019.  
Meanwhile, Mr. Abeysekara has phoned IP Nishantha Silva, who had left the country without permission, on November 23 at 9.30 am.  

The CID informed the court that Darisha Bastian and Krishantha Cooray are currently abroad and that Ms.Paranamanna’s statement also said that Ms. Bastian has left for Switzerland on November 21 and her phone number had been disconnected.   
The Magisterial inquiry was fixed for February 11.

• The report be submitted as a secret document to the court and to the CID