Former DIG Vas Gunawardena, along with five others, has had their death sentences affirmed for the murder of millionaire businessman Siyam. The tense relationship between Vas Gunawardena and Anura Senanayake, who was not very pleased with Gunawardena’s appointment as the head of the Colombo Crimes Division, escalated into a cold war. Gunawardena’s close ties with powerful figures in the Government, bypassing Senanayake, contributed to this tension.
An incident involving the abduction and assault of Nipun Ramanayake, a student at the Malabe Institute of Technology, further highlighted the friction, as it was impossible to cover up. Gunawardena, who was confident that the powerful figures he served would eventually secure his release, found himself in prison alongside his son and fellow police officers. On November 27, 2015, the High Court delivered the final verdict when a three-judge bench, including Lalith Jayasuriya, Sarojini Kusala Weerawardena, and Amendra Senaviratne, affirmed their death sentences in the Siyam murder case.
Many individuals who attempted to impose tyranny based on political arrogance and power have now found that there is virtually no escape from the courts. Recent judicial rulings are the best examples of this. Among these, a particularly notable judgment is the Supreme Court’s affirmation of the death sentence for former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Vaas Gunawardena and the four-year prison sentence handed down by the Colombo High Court to Vaas.