• Assets of 15 convicts confiscated 
• The guilty get 200-260 yrs RI each 

Attorney General (AG), President's Counsel Parinda Ranasinghe Junior said his Department would not appeal against the nine acquittals in the main Easter Sunday terror attacks criminal case concluded at the Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar on Tuesday (22). 

Responding to The Daily Morning, he said: "No, we won't" appeal the nine acquittals.

The Colombo Permanent High Court three-member Trial-at-Bar has ordered the confiscation by the State of all movable and immovable assets and property belonging to the 15 accused convicted in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks. 

The order was issued by the Court alongside lengthy terms of rigourous imprisonment (RI) imposed on the 15 convicts following the conclusion of the long-running case. Five were sentenced to 200 years’ of RI each (Mohamed Anwar Mohamed Rizkan, Mohamed Mansoor Mohamed Samsudeen, Huseinul Rizvi Khalid Sameer, Mohamed Hanifa Zainul Abdeen and Kachchi Mohamed Mohamed Jemsith), while another five were sentenced to 220 years RI each (the first defendant, Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Naufar, also known as Naufar Moulavi - described as an ideological mentor of a member of the now banned National Thowheed Jama'ath [NTJ] organisation, Zahran Hashim, and a subsequent leader of the extremist group - and Mohamed Ramish Mohamed Sajith, Abdul Latheef Mohamed Safi, Mohamed Mustafa Mohamed Haris and Rasiq Raza Hussein). Four others were handed 240-year RI terms (Mohamed Saribu Adam Lebbe, alias Gafoor Mama, and Hayathu Mohamed Ahmed Milhan, Mohamed Ibrahim Sadiq Abdullah and Mohamed Ibrahim Zahid Abdul Haq), while one accused (the eighth accused, Abdul Manaf Mohamed Firdous) was sentenced to 260 years of RI. 

The Court had earlier ordered the acquittal and release of nine of the defendants. A total of 15 of the 24 accused standing trial over the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks have been found guilty by the Court.

The convictions relate to charges including conspiring to carry out the attacks, aiding and abetting in the attacks and providing assistance and support, engaging in extremist activities, the propagation of extremist ideology including conducting extremist lectures, having links to the extremist group network responsible for carrying out the attacks, murder, attempted murder, offences involving firearms and explosives including collecting arms and ammunition, spreading discord among different ethnic groups, and other activities connected to the attacks.

The attacks took place on 21 April 2019, when a series of coordinated suicide bombings targeted three Catholic churches and three leading hotels in several parts of Sri Lanka including Colombo. 

More than 250 people were killed (269 including children) including foreign nationals and hundreds more were injured (more than 500 including children) in the coordinated attacks, which shocked the country and drew international attention. The attacks were carried out by nine suicide bombers, including Hashim.

The attacks prompted several investigations, including a Presidential Commission of Inquiry, a Parliamentary Select Committee inquiry, and multiple Police investigations.

Following investigations into the attacks, legal proceedings were launched in 2019 against 25 individuals including Naufar Moulavi. One individual had subsequently died. Following the investigations, the Attorney General (AG) filed indictments against 24 suspects and sought the appointment of a Trial-at-Bar to hear the case. In the main case heard before the Court, more than 23,270 charges had been filed against the accused. A total of 2,309 prosecution witnesses gave evidence. The recording of evidence for both the prosecution and the defence, which evidentiary hearings continued for several years, concluded on 24 August, following daily hearings.

The Court comprising Judges Navaratne Marasinghe, Ramanathan Kannan and Sujeewa Nissanka had previously announced that the final judgement would be delivered on Tuesday (22). 

Special security arrangements were put in place at the Hulftsdorp Court complex from Tuesday morning ahead of the delivery of the verdict. Police personnel, members of the Police Special Task Force, Police sniffer dogs, a Police mobile closed circuit television camera vehicle and ambulances were deployed at the Court premises.

The accused, including Naufar Moulavi, were brought to Court on Tuesday morning. Several other parties, including Catholic priests, also arrived at the Court premises. The bench began delivering the verdict at approximately 11.30 a.m.

Delivering the judgement, Presiding Judge Marasinghe stated that the indictment against the defendants comprised nine volumes and approximately 8,900 pages. According to Marasinghe, the defendants had been charged with offenses punishable under Sections 2(1)(h) and 2(2) of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act. The Court had therefore considered evidence presented against the defendants concerning extremist lectures and weapons-training activities conducted prior to the attacks, as well as the establishment and maintenance of training workshops and safe houses. 

Marasinghe explained the Court's approach to determining involvement in a conspiracy, stating: “There is no requirement for people involved in a conspiracy to be lined up together in one place. A conspiracy or agreement can be direct or implied. Those who became involved at the beginning, those who became involved midway, as well as those who became involved towards the end, can all be parties to the conspiracy.” Marasinghe subsequently stated that the Court had considered the defense statements presented by each of the defendants. 

The Court rejected the defenses presented by Naufar Moulavi, the second defendant, Gafoor Maama, the third defendant, Hayaathu Mohamed Milhan, the fourth defendant, Mohamed Ibrahim Saadik Abdullah, the fifth defendant, Mohamed Ibrahim Sahid Abdullah, and the other defendants forming the 15 defendants found guilty. 

However, Marasinghe stated that the Court accepted the defenses presented by the remaining nine defendants. Delivering the final conclusion of the bench, Marasinghe said that the Judges had reached their conclusions unanimously after considering all the evidence.

 “Accordingly, the bench unanimously determines that the indictments brought by the prosecution against the first to 11th, and 15th to 18th defendants have been proved beyond a reasonable doubt.” The Court therefore found those 15 defendants guilty of the charges established against them by the prosecution. The Court, however, reached a different conclusion in relation to the remaining nine defendants.

 Marasinghe stated: “However, as the prosecution has failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the charges brought against the 12th to 14th, and 20th to 25th defendants, it is decided that they be acquitted and released.” 

The 15 convicts were later taken into custody by prison officials and transported to the Welikada Prison at around 2.30 a.m. yesterday (23).