Supreme Court firm on compensation to Easter attack victims

 

Supreme Court of Sri Lanka

By Sandran Rubatheesan 

Sri Lanka’s top court has initiated contempt proceedings against a former intelligence officer after he failed to pay full compensation to the victims of the deadly 2019 Easter Sunday attack. 

A seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Sept. 27 asked Nilantha Jayawardena, the former director of State Intelligence Service (SIS), to appear in court on Oct. 7.

Jayawardena was asked to pay 75 million rupees (US$25,136) as compensation to the Easter attack victims, but his lawyer informed the court that he has so far paid 10 million rupees.

The Supreme Court after hearing 13 petitions filed by victims and their families on Jan. 12 last year ordered politicians and government officials, including former President Maithripala Srisena, to pay a hefty fine for their failure to prevent the attacks despite prior intelligence input.

Srisena, who also held the office of the minister of defense, paid the 100-million-rupee fine imposed on him.

Three other officials also paid the fines imposed on them. Pujith Jayasundera, the inspector general of police, paid 75 million rupees, Hemasiri Fernando, the former defense secretary, paid 50 million rupees, and Sisira Mendis, the former chief of intelligence paid 10 million rupees.

The payments were to be deposited with Sri Lanka's Office for Reparations.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo is a petitioner in the case seeking compensation. 

The top court instructed the Attorney General to provide details of the payments to President’s Counsel Shammil Perera, who appeared for Ranjith. 

The petitions seek compensation from the politicians and officials, citing their negligence in preventing one of the worst terror strikes in the island nation despite having credible information of an imminent attack.

Nine suicide bombers belonging to local Islamist group National Thawheed Jamaat, which is linked to ISIS, carried out a series of deadly blasts at three Catholic churches and three luxury hotels on April 21, 2019, killing 279 people, including foreigners, and injuring more than 500 people.

The latest hearing of the case came in the wake of the new government’s promise to launch a fresh probe into the terror attack after Church officials said the probes so far did not reveal the political conspiracy behind the crime. 

After assuming office, new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake called on Ranjith on Sept. 23. 

Later, Ranjith told reporters that the president assured a thorough probe into Easter Sunday attacks. 

Father Cyril Gamini Fernando, spokesperson for the Colombo archdiocese, who attended the court proceedings on Sept. 27, said the Church would continue its struggle to ensure justice for the victims. 

It is clear that there was “a political conspiracy,” Fernando told reporters outside the court.

The government conducted several probes, but Christian leaders say the politicians who deliberately allowed the crime are still at large. (Courtesy -UCAN)