The Patriotic National Movement has alleged that investigators provided misleading information to justify extending the detention of retired Major General Suresh Sallay, former Director of the State Intelligence Service.

The Patriotic National Movement leveled accusations yesterday that false information was presented to courts with the aim of prolonging the detention of retired Major General Suresh Sallay, who previously headed the State Intelligence Service. Attorney-at-Law Sanjeeva Weerawickrama, representing the movement, made the allegations during a press conference in Colombo.

Weerawickrama specifically questioned the procedures followed in recording a witness statement involving investigator Shani Abeysekara and individual Azad Maulana in France. According to the attorney, Abeysekara claimed to have recorded a statement from Maulana at the French embassy, yet Weerawickrama disputed this account. He noted that Sri Lanka had no ambassador posted to France at the time, though an official residence had been maintained. Weerawickrama alleged that court documents contained small print indicating the statement was recorded at the ambassador's residence.

The attorney questioned the legality of independently recording a statement at an ambassador's residence and subsequently filing it in court under Sri Lankan law. He characterized the action as unlawful and described it as an arbitrary measure intended to support continuous extensions of Sallay's detention order. Weerawickrama also alleged that false statements were contained in an intervening petition filed by His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith related to Sallay's writ petition.