Lankan air force chief resigns

The Sri Lankan air force chief, Air Vice Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody, yesterday stepped down from his post after the controversial fatal car accident which he tried to cover up by sending a junior officer as a substitute.

Presidential secretariat spokes-man Janadasa Peiris confirmed that his resignation had been accepted by President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

Weerakkody's official limousine collided with a lorry in the early hours of June 15.

The air force chief was allegedly at the wheel at the time of the accident, but is accused of blaming it on his driver, a fellow air force officer.

Ratnasena Silva, a 48-year-old father of four who was in the lorry, was seriously injured in the accident and died in hospital early yesterday.

Weerakkody appeared before the Colombo city coroner yesterday to record a statement in connection with the inquest into Silva's death.

He will appear before a Colombo magistrate later this month when he could face charges in connection with the death, court officials said.

A police investigation revealed that the air force chief was responsible for the accident.

A court yesterday ordered that Weerakkody should be produced before it and accordingly he will be produced on Tuesday.

The air force chief was hauled up before the coroner's courts where the driver of the vehicle identified Weerakkody as being responsible for the accident. The victim was the lorry assistant (cleaner).

The identification of Weerak-kody as the driver of the vehicle was a contradiction to earlier claims made by the police that the air force chief's vehicle was driven by another air force driver.

An air force driver called up at the police the next day after the accident and claimed that he was the driver, but he had no injuries.

The air chief, who had spent time at two night clubs, was allegedly driving in an intoxicated state with another female officer beside him.

The government is also looking into the possibility of framing charges against the air chief for substituting himself with another driver and attempting to cover up his involvement in the accident.

The incident has come as an embarrassment to the air force and the government which is trying to improve discipline in the armed forces.