Family members suspect foul play over Lalith Kotelawala’s death

• Family alleges fraudulent transfer of Kotelawala’s properties by associates
• Magistrate orders post-mortem to determine cause of death
• body kept at a private hospital in Colombo
• Family alleges that those around him kept him isolated without allowing them to visit him

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda 

The family members of late businessman Deshamanya Dr. Lalith Kotelawala yesterday sought an order from the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court to conduct a post-mortem examination into the death of Mr. Kotelawala citing his death occurred in suspicious circumstances.

The family members through their lawyers informed the court that the late Kotelawala was held hostage by a certain group of people for a last five-year period without giving access to any family members.

Taking into consideration the facts, Colombo Chief Magistrate Prasanna Alwis ordered the Colombo Judicial Medical Officer to conduct a post-mortem examination into the businessman’s dead body.

The body was ordered to be released to the family members following the post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, the Chief Magistrate inspected the dead body, which was kept at a private hospital in Colombo.

The family members had complained to Bambalapitiya Police regarding the alleged suspicious death and sought an inquiry into his death.Counsel Hafeel Farisz with Sanjeewa Kodituwakku informed the court that the family members were of the view that the circumstances that led to the businessman’s death were suspicious. They told the court that the family members wanted to eliminate any foul play, taking into account the circumstances under which he died. 

In their police complaint, the family members had informed that a group of people who were with Mr Kotelawala during the last five years had written to themselves valuable properties in a fraudulent manner.