A panel of four forensic medical consultants has been appointed to conduct the post-mortem examination on a senior Finance Ministry official whose death is being treated as suspicious, Health authorities said.
Secretary to the Ministry of Health, specialist Dr Anil Jasinghe, said steps had been taken to appoint the Judicial Medical Officers’ panel to carry out the examination into the death of the Assistant Director of the Ministry of Finance’s Department of External Resources.
The official, identified as Rangani Nishantha, had been suspended in connection with allegations relating to the transfer of US$2.5 million to a third party during a foreign debt settlement process involving the Treasury.
His body was discovered at his residence in Kuliyapitiya on Saturday (30), prompting police investigations into the circumstances surrounding the death, which is being probed as a possible suicide, homicide, or accidental incident.
Police said the body was found in the garden of the house after the official’s daughter alerted family members upon noticing him lying outside. Officers who arrived at the scene observed a bloodstain near a banana tree, along with multiple injuries, including cuts to a leg and arm. A knife was also recovered nearby.
A magisterial inquiry was conducted at the location by the Kuliyapitiya Magistrate, after which the body was transferred to the Kuliyapitiya Teaching Hospital for post-mortem examination.Investigations into the incident are continuing.