BBCMirror.lk .CNN-Mirror.com ‘ asianewsplusone.com sfmnewslk.com
Makandure Madush had revealed a lot of information about MPs, ministers, provincial council members and Pradeshiya Sabha members in the previous governments. The police officially provided this to the media and occasionally through the police media spokesperson.
The police also officially stated to the media at the time that Makandure Madush had a large amount of property in Dubai as well as hotels in this country. The police did not later reveal whether any of those properties had been seized or found. With Madush’s murder, nothing was found to have happened to those properties.
Makandure Madush had even made a lengthy revelation to the Criminal Investigation Department about a politician in the Western Province who was involved in drug trafficking on a large scale.
The politician had risen from the Municipal Council to the Provincial Council and from there to Parliament and later held the position of State Minister. Although the Criminal Investigation Department was prepared to arrest many politicians exposed by Makandure Madush, including this politician, those investigations were stalled with the overthrow of the then Yahapalana government.
The main reason for this is the transfer of the heads of the Criminal Investigation Department.
The current Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, retired Senior DIG Ravi Seneviratne, was the Head of the Criminal Investigation Department at that time. The Director of the Criminal Investigation Department at that time was Senior Superintendent of Police Shani Abeysekara, who is still serving as the Director of the Criminal Investigation Department today.
Makandure Madush had revealed how money was spent on certain politicians for elections, how buildings were provided, how they supported the start-up of businesses, and how black money from the drug ring was laundered through politicians.
Makandure Madush was running the country’s drug network from Dubai, becoming the godfather of the underworld. He even had the support of a large number of politicians. A vehicle rental company in which he invested money was opened under the patronage of a Prime Minister at that time. Intelligence agencies had revealed that a politician who depended on Makandure Madush’s black money was behind it. These things happened before Madush was arrested in Dubai.
Makandure Madush was arrested in Dubai on February 5, 2019, as a result of a clash between drug traffickers. That was in the hotel where his daughter’s birthday party was held. The Dubai Police arrested 31 Sri Lankans with him that day. Among them were notorious underworld criminals Kanjipani Imran, Rotumba Amila and a group of others, a father-son singer duo, an actor, a prison officer and people from various walks of life. It was revealed that many of them had traveled to Dubai from Sri Lanka for the same party.
Although the Dubai authorities had initially decided not to deport or extradite Makandure Madush and the group to Sri Lanka, that decision was later changed following a discussion held by the then President Maithripala Sirisena with the Head of the United Arab Emirates regarding this matter.
As an extension of that discussion, a team of officials from the Attorney General’s Department, including the then Foreign Minister, Mr. Tilak Marapana, had gone to Abu Dhabi and met with the authorities of the United Arab Emirates. Accordingly, the Dubai authorities took steps to deport the Sri Lankan suspects in custody one by one to this country.
When Makandure Madush was deported, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department took steps to bring him back to Dubai.
Makandure Madush was brought to this country on May 5, 2019. He was detained at the Criminal Investigation Department under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and investigations were conducted.
It is there that information about politicians and even his assets are revealed. In addition to politicians, Madush has close ties with many government officials, including police officers and prison officials. All of this had been revealed by the investigating officers of the Criminal Investigation Department at the time.
With the overthrow of the Yahapalana government in the election, nothing has been found in the investigations conducted into the politicians, police officers, businessmen, government officials and properties exposed by Makandure Madush.
Madush, who was in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department, was suddenly handed over to the Colombo Crimes Division on or around October 16, 2020. It was stated that this was on orders from above.
The Colombo Crimes Division, after taking him into custody for 24 hours, found 10 kilos of heroin or something like that in Kotikawatta, claiming that it was based on Madush’s information. It is said that the drug stock was found based on Madush’s information, which was kept in the Criminal Investigation Department for 18 months but was not revealed. Then, on the night of the 19th, the Colombo Crimes Division officers were preparing to take Makandure Madush to an apartment complex in Maligawatta to find another 22 kilos of drugs that Madush had allegedly revealed were hidden on the 10th floor of the apartment complex.
The housing complex is a building complex built by the Urban Development Authority near the Colombo Khettarama housing complex by removing shacks and slums. When Makandure Madush went to Dubai, the land where this housing complex is located was shacks and slums. This housing complex was opened to the public during the Yahapalana government. Makandure Madush had never been to this housing complex at any time in his life. It is said that Madush revealed that a stock of drugs was in a house on the 10th floor. The police said that while they were going to find the house containing the drugs based on Madush’s information, an unknown person approached Madush, who was in the custody of police officers and was handcuffed, and shot him in the head and fled.
Only two or three officers of the Colombo Crimes Division and a few police chiefs knew that Makandure Madush was being brought to this apartment complex that night. Despite this, there is still doubt today whether Makandure Madush was able to shoot in front of armed police officers when Madush was being taken to the building. This is because the police have not been able to catch the shooter to this day.
With the mysterious death of Madush, politicians and others involved in Madush’s drug network are breathing freely. The crores and crores of rupees that Madush acquired from black money have not been recovered.
The Criminal Investigation Department can now start investigating these matters from the beginning. This is because the Secretary to the Ministry in charge of the Police and the Criminal Investigation Department are two officers who conducted investigations into Makandure Madush at the time and are well aware of it.