Sri Lanka’s former police chief and defence secretary have been sentenced to death over failures linked to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings…reports Asian Lite News Desk
A three-judge High Court bench in Sri Lanka has sentenced former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara to death after finding him guilty of failing to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks despite receiving advance intelligence warnings.
The court ruled on Friday that Jayasundara was guilty of dereliction of duty and aiding and abetting murder for failing to act on information indicating that suicide bombers were planning attacks on Catholic churches and tourist hotels in Colombo and nearby areas.
The majority verdict was delivered by Judges Priyantha Liyanage and Thilakaratne Bandara, while Judge Viraj Weerasuriya issued a dissenting opinion, according to Xinhua news agency.
Reading the majority judgment, presiding Judge Liyanage said Jayasundara, who served as Sri Lanka’s police chief at the time, bore primary responsibility for safeguarding public security and protecting citizens.
The court heard that Nilantha Jayawardena, then Director of the State Intelligence Service, informed Jayasundara on the evening of April 20, 2019, that suicide attacks targeting Catholic churches and tourist hotels were expected the following day.
According to the judgment, Jayasundara failed to take the necessary preventive measures after receiving the intelligence warning.
The majority judges concluded that Jayasundara had neglected the duties entrusted to him as the country’s senior-most police officer responsible for preventing crime and ensuring public safety. Citing the gravity of the offences, the court imposed the death sentence.
However, Judge Weerasuriya disagreed with the majority ruling, stating in his dissenting judgment that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges against Jayasundara beyond a reasonable doubt. He acquitted the former police chief.
The High Court took more than four hours to deliver its verdict.
In a separate ruling later on Friday, the same court also sentenced former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando to death after finding him guilty of failing to act on the same intelligence warnings ahead of the coordinated attacks.
The Easter Sunday bombings took place on April 21, 2019, when suicide bombers targeted churches and luxury hotels across Sri Lanka. According to the court judgment, the attacks killed more than 260 people and injured over 500 others, making them among the deadliest acts of terrorism in the country’s history.
The bombings triggered widespread criticism of the country’s security establishment, with multiple investigations concluding that advance intelligence warnings had not been acted upon effectively.
