Delivering an order on the parallel magisterial inquiry into the bond scam on the deletion of phone call data from the Perpetual Treasuries Ltd voice recording system and fabricating evidence to the Commission, Colombo Fort Magistrate today allowed the prosecution to compare the original DVDs from the PTL with the altered DVDs which the suspects handed over to the bond commission.

These DVDs contained voice recordings of the PTL's all phone conversations.

PTL owner Arjun Aloysius, CEO Kasun Palisena, chief dealer Nuwan Salgado and the IT executive Sachith Devathantri were held liable by the the CID on the instruction of the Attorney General in connection with the revelation which transpired during the proceedings of the Bond Commission.

Senior State Counsel Lakmini Girihagama appeared for the CID in the magisterial inquiry.

PTL had earlier told the Commission that it had given all the data it had with regard to the voice recording system. However, after confession made by PTL IT expert Sachith Devatantri and its chief dealer Nuwan Salgado, it was revealed that there was a deletion of some voice recordings.

Later the Attorney General instructed the CID to begin a criminal investigation on this matter.

Mr. Devathantri had on August 31, 2017 informed the PCoI that he had deleted several phone recordings from PTL’s voice recording system on the instructions of Mr. Salgado on July 5, 2017.

He also disclosed that it was the altered phone recordings that were subsequently provided to the Commission in the latter part of August 2017, contrary to what PTL’s CEO Kasun Palisena had said in his affidavit that they had provided all data to the commission. (Shehan Chamika Silva)