Easter attacks: Pujith, Hemasiri to face murder charges DSG: 300 warnings ignored since 2016
Posted on September 6th, 2019

By A. J Abeynayake Courtesy The Island

Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris yesterday told Colombo Chief Magistrate Vikum A. Kaluwarachchi that the prosecution was suspicious whether then IGP Pujith Jayasundera and Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando had conspired with Easter Sunday suicide bomber Zahran Hashim.

DSG Peiris told court that since 2016 to April 21, 2019, there had been 347 warnings regarding Zahran Hashim and Muslim extremists planning attacks. According to DSG Peiris, out of those warnings, 131 specific reports had been brought to the attention of Jayasundera and 94 to Fernando.

Alleging that they had been holidaying in April, DSG Peiris said that if they had acted on intelligence received on April 20 and 21 the attacks could have been averted.

Nearly 274 victims perished in six separate attacks carried out by seven persons. According to DSG Peiris, 477 others received injuries.

Faulting Jayasundera and Fernando for not taking immediate remedial measures, the DSG pointed out that they couldn’t shirk their responsibility by simply directing those warnings to junior personnel.

The top AG Department official accused them of negligence.

The court was told that they hadn’t even taken cognizance of the intelligence gathered by operatives under extremely difficult conditions. The DSG revealed how Hemasiri Fernando had responded two to three hours later to warning received from State

Intelligence Services (SIS) Chief DIG Nilantha Jayawardena the day before the suicide attacks.

Asserting that their actions had proved a case of negligence on their part, the AG had directed that they be investigated for murder, the DSG said.

DSG Peiris pointed out that while they were being questioned both of them had got sick simultaneously like twins and been hospitalized.

President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne, Counsel for Jayasundera told the court that his client had not received such a number of reports, and denied all allegations levelled by DSG Peiris.

DSG Peiris told the Court that once the investigations were over Jayasundera and Fernando would be charged for murder and conspiracy to murder.

10 Responses to “Easter attacks: Pujith, Hemasiri to face murder charges DSG: 300 warnings ignored since 2016”

  1. Mario Perera Says:

    No charges against the President and the Prime Minister????????????

    Why??????????

    Strange. Absolutely incomprehensible. Absolutely shameless

    Sri Lanka Justice…INJUSTICE is your name

    Sri Lanka Justice…Emperor with no clothes

    Mario Perera, Kadawata

  2. dhane Says:

    Wait and see another few years until legal battle is completed. Finally its will be fault of the 275 dead, nearly 500 wounded peoples faulty been they were near to the suicide bomber. Nobody will be find guilty but the lawyers will become rice & ricer. Remember good old days famous Sathasivam wife murder case finally it was the cause of “Chilly Grinding Stone” .

  3. Dilrook Says:

    Kekille decision!

    President and Prime Minister must be held responsible.

  4. Randeniyage Says:

    How can President lay charges to himself ?
    Our legal system is in shambles. We have AG department not looking after people ( from evil of criminals) but just to look after the President. This is a dreamland to criminals.

    What is obviously visible and suspicious is whether the President had conspired with Easter Sunday suicide bomber Zahran Hashim.

    1. He instructed to arrest Nalaka Silva who was monitoring Zaharan buy constructing a false conspiracy using a man who worked for him.
    2. It seems Nalaka Silva was the only person specially trained to track down IS supporters. He is the only man who can operate the necessary machinery.
    3. He spoke directly to National Intelligence Chief. Therefore he know EVERYTHING.
    4. He was away on the day, others were in the country.
    5. He prevented PM taking charge pf investigations when he was not in the country.
    6. It is he who appointed Hizbullah and Salley as GOVERNORS.
    7. Sirisena was personalty informed about this terrorists by various parties.

  5. Dilrook Says:

    We all miss the woods for the trees.

    The reason why the president, the PM, the defence secretary and police chief didn’t take action is reconciliation.

    Not incompetence. Not negligence. Not malice.

  6. Ananda-USA Says:

    I think Dilrook has hit the NAIL SQUARELY on its HEAD!

    RECONCILIATION has STYMIED all COMMONSENSE in GOVERNANCE bringing the Ship of State to a screeching HALT!

  7. Randeniyage Says:

    @Dilrook & Ananda
    Not so.
    If you analyse all the data ( especially what is presented at this court case), this appears as a serious collaboration. Both camps knew this.
    In my opinion. whoever wins we will be under the rule of USA.

  8. Dilrook Says:

    @Randeniyage

    There was no collaboration on the part of the president, the PM, the defence secretary and police chief to bomb people.

    They would have prevented by all means it if not for reconciliation.

    19A introduced an additional responsibility for the president – reconciliation. If he does anything against it, the parliament can impeach him.

    Just imagine the trouble reconciliation clowns would have created if Muslim youth were arrested for interrogation to get to the few terrorists. Intel didn’t know exactly who were planning it.

    Funny thing is all 4 clowns are playing the game. None of them openly accepts the role reconciliation (wreck-onciliation) played in the bomb attack. Whatever problems they have they suffer in silence and keep the reconciliation matter hidden.

    In contrast, Mahinda’s regime in 2014 did confront a Tamil terrorist in Kilinochchi killing him in a shoot out. They didn’t fear reconciliation or votes. (But they had other problems from reconciliation. Just that they knew where to draw the line on national security.)

    The 1970-77 regime followed a similar approach to Tamil terrorists. Having killed thousands of Sinhala youth in 1971 the regime didn’t want to lose its support in the north. It had unusually high support in the north due to its economic policies. This helped various Tamil groups form into powerful terrorist groups. And in 1977 totally lost the support in the north anyway!

  9. Dilrook Says:

    And even opposition MPs including Mahinda knew about it as Wimal stated with Mahinda. All MPs were notified of the danger. They too kept mum not to hurt reconciliation and to get political mileage.

    If I remember right Randeiyage said LLRC = LTTE a long time ago. Prophetic.

    Reconciliation weakened the national security apparatus, removed eternal vigilance, made counter terrorism operations impossible and provided a safe breeding ground for terrorists.

  10. Randeniyage Says:

    @Dilrook
    I agree “Reconciliation” is poison.

    But this is my suspicion from the moment I heard the attacks and turned on the screen. It may not be correct but this strange feeling occurred. Later when more data came in, it grew. If my thinking is correct, main man will not contest for presidency although SLFP now said they will field a candidate. That will further increase my suspicion.

    It is still a suspicion and I am happier if my suspicion is proven stupid.

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