The mother of former State Intelligence Service chief Major General (Retired) Suresh Sallay has appealed to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake not to extend her son’s detention, while making clear that she does not oppose an investigation into the allegations against him.
In a letter sent to the Presidential Secretariat on 23 August, Sallay’s mother said her son had served in the Army for 37 years, dedicating his youth and valuable years that could otherwise have been spent with his family to the country.
Her appeal, however, stopped short of seeking an end to any investigation. She said that if allegations had been made against her son, the authorities should investigate them, examine all available evidence and establish the truth.
At the same time, she asked President Dissanayake not to extend Sallay’s detention while those investigations are continuing.
She stressed that investigations should be based on evidence and argued that detention should not be used as a substitute for evidence. Her appeal therefore focused on the distinction between allowing an investigation to proceed and continuing to hold a suspect in detention.
The letter presents the case as a plea from a mother seeking what she described as justice, humanity and a fair opportunity for her son, rather than as a request for preferential treatment.
Sallay’s mother also asked for an opportunity to meet President Dissanayake personally. She said she was not seeking any special privilege, but wanted the opportunity to present her concerns directly to the President.
Her appeal comes with a specific request: that her son be allowed to face the law freely while the authorities continue their investigations.
The former SIS chief’s mother reiterated that she was not asking the authorities to stop examining the allegations against him. Instead, she urged that the process establish the facts through available evidence while avoiding prolonged detention in the absence of such evidence.
Her letter places the question of Sallay’s continued detention at the centre of the appeal, while leaving the investigation itself untouched. She has asked the President to ensure that the legal process continues, but that her son is not kept in detention as an alternative to establishing the evidence against him.
The appeal now places the decision on whether Sallay’s detention should be extended before the President, while his mother continues to call for the allegations to be examined and the truth established through due investigation.
