The long-running criminal cases against former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando over the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks are due to reach a crucial stage today, with the Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar set to deliver its verdicts in the two separate proceedings.
The former senior state officials face multiple charges, including criminal negligence and breach of official duty, over allegations that they failed to act on intelligence warnings indicating that terrorist attacks were imminent.
The prosecution contends that despite receiving advance intelligence, the accused did not take the necessary preventive measures, resulting in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka’s history.
The court fixed today’s verdicts after concluding the hearings in both cases. Proceedings against former IGP Pujith Jayasundara concluded on 12 June, while the case against former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando concluded on 13 June.
The retrials were heard before a three-judge bench of the Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar comprising Priyantha Liyanage, Viraj Weerasuriya and Thilakarathna Bandara.
On 18 February 2022, a previous Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar acquitted both accused without calling for their defence after considering the prosecution’s evidence.
The Attorney General subsequently appealed the acquittals before the Supreme Court, arguing that the rulings were inconsistent with the law and seeking to have them overturned.
The Supreme Court later ordered fresh proceedings, resulting in the retrial of both cases before the current Trial-at-Bar bench, which is expected to deliver its judgments today.
