Former Commander of the Navy, Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne, has been arrested, and renanded, in connection with ongoing investigation into a case of wartime disappearance.
At the time of the alleged disappearance, Ulugetenne has served as the head of naval intelligence, under the then Commander Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda.
Pending investigations, the decorated officer has been remanded till 30 July by the Polgahawela Magistrate’s Court.
Sources said that the alleged disappearance had taken place in the Pothuhera Police area. However, Police Spokesman ASP F.U. Wootle said that details could be provided once he got in touch with the CID Director.
Ulugetenne, who served as the Commander of the Navy during July 2020 to Dec. 2022, and, in Feb, 2024, during Ranil Wickremesinghe’s presidency, received appointment as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Cuba.
Ulugetenne hasn’t been investigated previously in connection with alleged atrocities perpetrated during the war, though several senior officers were probed.
Sources said that Ulugetenne’s arrest was the first since the NPP came to power last year.
As head of naval intelligence, Ulugetenne played a significant role in planning operations against the LTTE’s floating warehouses that were destroyed in operations carried out with the support of local and US intelligence. (SF)