News
Commission recommends criminal charges against Maithri, Ranil and top officials
Former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the former Yahapalana Governmnent’s top politicians and officials are to face criminal charges in terms of recommendations made by the Presidential Commission that probed the Easter Sunday terror attacks in April 2019.
Besides the former President and the former Premier, the commission has recommended that crimial charges be filed against the then Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, the then Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara and the then Chief of National Intelligence Sisira Mendis.
The commission has recommended that criminal charges be filed against those who failed to prevent the attacks, despite the early warnings. The attacks claimed the lives of more than 270 people in churches and hotels.
In its report handed to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday, the commission also recommends action against those who failed to apprehend persons before the attacks, failing to arrest those spreading extremist ideas and for the failure to carry out proper investigations in advance.
Action should also be filed against persons who obtained foreign funding to spread extremist ideas, the commission has recommended.
The commission report is due to be taken up for discussion at tomorrow’s weekly cabinet meeting.
However, the report has not been submitted to the Attorney General so far, a department source said.
Under the Commission Inquiry Act of 2008, the commission’s findings could be made use of to file criminal charges against those responsible, the source said.
The Sunday Times learns that Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has spoken to the President about the report and urged that the contents of the report be made public soon. He has called for the early implementation of the recommendations.The Cardinal made a similar appeal at an Independence Day holy mass held at All Saints Church in Borella.
Addressing the Independence day celebrations, President Rajapaksa declared that speedy action would be taken against those found responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks.
“I have now received the final report of the Presidential Commission appointed to inquire into the Easter Sunday attacks. I have already given instructions to implement its recommendations. Simultaneously, taking into account the recommendations of the previous Parliament’s Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security, action will be taken against all parties involved in this tragedy. We will not allow those responsible for designing and enabling this tragedy to escape justice,” the President declared.
The Commission was chaired by Supreme Court Judge Janak de Silva. Its other members were Court of Appeal Judge Bandula Karunaratne, retired Court of Appeal Judge Sunil Rajapaksa, retired High Court Judge Bandula Atapattu and retired Justice Ministry Secretary W.M.M.R. Adikari.
Former President Sirisena first appointed the commission in September 2019 and its term had been extended at various times since then. The commission’s term finally came to an end on January 31.
The Commission began its hearings on October 31, 2019 and had sat on 214 days in total, holding 640 sittings and questioning 451 witnesses.