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Case against Pujith has unattached ‘documents’

19 Jan 2022

  • Chief Inspector attached to IGP’s office testifies
  • Docs likely not taken up at Easter Presidential Commission
BY Buddhika Samaraweera It was revealed before the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar yesterday (19) that several attachments were not attached to the relevant documents when the case was filed against former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara for his alleged failure to prevent the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 21 April 2019. The case against Jayasundara for his alleged failure to take action to prevent the Easter Sunday terror attacks was taken up before Judges Namal Balalla, Adithya Patabendige, and Mohamed Irshadeen and Chief Inspector of Police (CI) attached to the IGP’s office N. Senaratne testified yesterday. He presented several documents to the court. He said that according to those documents, Jayasundara had even signed a letter sent by then State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director Nilantha Jayawardena regarding the possibility of a terror attack and that he (Jayasundara) had then forwarded it to the relevant officials instructing them to take necessary actions. At this point, Judge Irshadeen queried the witness as to whether those documents had been submitted to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) which investigated the Easter Sunday terror attacks earlier. In response, Senaratne said that he did not remember exactly, but that as far as he could remember, no one had asked for those documents. Senior Deputy Solicitor General (SDSG) Dileepa Peiris appeared for the Attorney General (AG) while Attorney-at-Law Roshan Dehiwala appeared for Jayasundara. The case is due to be taken up again today (20). The AG has filed 855 indictments against Jayasundara in the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar under Sections 296 and 300 of the Penal Code for charges of murder and attempted murder in connection with the Easter Sunday terror attacks. Meanwhile, the Colombo High Court (CHC) yesterday decided to take up the case filed by the AG against former Defence Ministry Secretary Hemasiri Fernando for his alleged failure to prevent the said terror attacks, on 18 February 2022, in order to decide on whether to call a dock statement or not. DSG Sudarshana De Silva, who appeared for the complainant, concluded the leading evidence. Furthermore, Colombo Additional Magistrate Chandima Liyanage yesterday remanded 10 female suspects who had undergone weapons training under the wife of Atchchi Muhammadu Muhammadu Hastun (suicide bomber of the Katuwapitiya St. Sebastian’s Church), Pulasthini Mahendran alias Sarah Jasmine, until the AG’s stance is provided in this regard. Investigations by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) have revealed that the suspects had undergone weapons training at the camps in Settikulam-Hambantota, Kattankudi-Karawala Nagar, and Nuwara Eliya. Investigations by the TID have identified 25 suspects who have sworn in as part of the extremist lectures and weapons training. The TID also told the court that among the 25 suspects who were sworn in were 16 women and nine men. On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, three churches (St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, and Zion Church in Batticaloa) and three luxury hotels in Colombo (Cinnamon Grand Colombo, The Kingsbury Colombo, and Shangri-La Colombo) were targeted in a series of co-ordinated suicide bombings. Later that day, another two bomb explosions took place at a house in Dematagoda and the Tropical Inn Lodge in Dehiwala. A total of 269 people excluding the bombers were killed in the bombings, including about 45 foreign nationals, while at least 500 were injured Later, a PCoI was appointed to investigate the said terror attacks, and the PCoI, in its final report, recommended that criminal charges be filed against former President and incumbent Government Parliamentarian Maithripala Sirisena, Fernando, Jayasundara, Jayawardena, former Chief of National Intelligence Sisira Mendis, and several others.


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