• Charges recommended against Sirisena, Defence Secy. Hemasiri, and IGP Pujith

  Despite reports to the contrary, the final report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) appointed to investigate the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks has not recommended that criminal charges be brought against former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, The Morning reliably learnt. Testifying before the PCoI in October 2020, Wickremesinghe said former President Maithripala Sirisena did not invite him to the National Security Council (NSC) meetings after the constitutional crisis and the change of Government that took place suddenly on 26 October 2018. However, well-placed sources told The Morning that criminal charges have been recommended to be brought against former President Maithripala Sirisena, then Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, and then Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara. Ironically, the PCoI was appointed by former President Sirisena on 22 September 2019 to investigate the series of attacks and to recommend necessary actions. The PCoI handed over its final report to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 1 February after hearings and other procedures of the PCoI officially came to a conclusion on 27 January 2021. The first interim report was handed over on 20 December 2019 while the second interim report was handed over to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 2 March 2020. The PCoI had recorded evidence from a total of 440 individuals during its term. The commission is chaired by Court of Appeal Judge Janak de Silva and other members include Court of Appeal Judge Nishshanka Bandula Karunarathna, High Court Judges (Retd.) Nihal Sunil Rajapaksa and A.L. Bandula Kumara Atapattu, and former Ministry of Justice Secretary W.M.M.R. Adikari.