Summons has been issued on the Captain of the distressed MT New Diamond Crude Oil Tanker to appear at the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court on the 28th of September.
Colombo Additional Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage issued a summons after considering the facts presented to the court by Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, who represented the Attorney General and stated the Captain and crew of the MT New Diamond had abandoned ship when the fire broke out while transporting Crude Oil from Kuwait to India, and their irresponsible actions resulted in a disastrous situation.
DSG Peiris also informed the court the Criminal Investigations Department had requested to record statements from the Captain of New Diamond who was named as a suspect, and the crew with regard to the ongoing investigations, however on the instructions of a certain law firm, the request had been turned down.
Therefore, the Criminal Investigations Department is compelled to record statements from the Captain and Crew of MT New Diamond based on a court order, said the Deputy Solicitor General.
The Additional Magistrate issued summons noting the Captain of the MT New Diamond, who was named as a suspect, had failed to cooperate with the on-going investigations.
(LIN)