One of the highest political authorities in the government has ordered the law enforcement authorities to delay the arrest of Admiral Ravindra Wijegunwaratne, the Chief  of Defence Staff. 

Informed government sources said the reason for the sudden order was "unclear". 

It is learnt that Wijegunaratne, the most senior military officer in the country at the moment, is likely to be given honourable exit from the military service, before his imminent arrest. 

Court has already directed the Criminal Investigations Department to arrest Admiral Wijegunaratne  if he had helped Chandana Hettiarachchi alias Navy Sampath, the main suspect in the murders of 11 youth in Colombo, to abscond Police. 

If the CID arrests him over the incident while in service, he will be the highest military officer to be arrested for a criminal offence in Sri Lanka. 

Police sources told the CID that there was substantial evidence against Wijegunaratne to suggest that he helped the former Navy officer to flee to Malaysia to avoid Police arrest. 

It was revealed last week that the suspect had also received Rs. 500000 from a Navy account to flee to Malaysia. 

Sampath was arrested in Colombo by the CID, recently, with a forged ID.