Did the Defence Minister make a controversial statement that life assurance cannot be guaranteed for lawyers representing criminals?

The horrifying scenes where a lawyer and his wife were murdered in Akuregoda raised many concerns about whether security is ensured for lawyers who represent criminal cases. Amidst this scenario, a statement allegedly made by the Defence Minister went viral on social media. This is a fact-check we conducted to verify the truth behind the claim.

Social Media Posts :

A social media post attributed to the Defence Minister, “We cannot ensure the lives of lawyers who represent criminals anymore!” was circulated as follows.

Facebook | Archived Link Facebook | Archived Link

We decided to investigate the truth of this claim.

Fact Check:

It was mentioned on social media that on February 13, the lawyer who was shot dead near a supermarket in Akuregoda had represented a member of an organised criminal gang named “Karandeniya Sudda,” and that he had provided information about him to another criminal. It was further claimed that, as a result, Karandeniya Sudda had orchestrated the murder.

We investigated whether the Defence Minister had made such a statement in the main media streams. However, no report confirming this could be found in any leading media outlet.

Meanwhile, on the 17th, the Minister stated that necessary security would be provided to lawyers and investigation officers who may be at risk, after assessments and confirmations by the intelligence services.

Furthermore, it was observed that the Minister had taken steps to refute these allegations by posting a clarification on his official Facebook account, stating that they were false.

Facebook | Archived Link

We then proceeded to check the ITN official Facebook page, where it was confirmed that no such news had been published on their account.

We inquired with a news manager at ITN regarding whether such a report had been published, and she stated that it was false information. She further explained that someone else had created this fake post using the ITN news format. The ITN official Facebook page also flagged it as a fabricated report in this way.

Murder of Lawyer Buddhika Mallawarachchi and His Wife

Last Friday evening, a lawyer and his wife were shot dead in the parking lot of a supermarket in Thalangama, near Akuregoda, approximately one kilometre from the Army headquarters.

The victims were 44-year-old lawyer Buddhika Mallawarachchi and his 42-year-old wife, W.A. Nisansala.

Two unidentified gunmen, who arrived in a motor vehicle, carried out the shooting and fled the scene. The car, suspected to have been used by the assailants, was later found by police on a side road in the Galle Baddegama area, burning. According to the police media spokesperson, ten teams, including the Criminal Investigation Department, the Police Special Task Force, the Colombo Crimes Division, and the Special Investigations Unit, are investigating this murder.

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Conclusion :

Our investigation has found that the social media posts claiming that Defence Minister Ananda Wijepala stated, “We cannot guarantee the lives of lawyers representing criminals from now on,” are false. The Minister has not made any such statement.

In Parliament, the Minister stated that lawyers and investigation officers who may be at risk from threats by criminals are identified, and security is provided only after assessments and confirmations by the intelligence services.