The Easter Sunday attacks investigation will not be derailed by protests or political pressure, Cabinet Spokesperson and Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said on Tuesday, warning that the Criminal Investigation Department would report any attempt to obstruct the probe to court for legal action.
Addressing the weekly Cabinet briefing, Jayatissa drew a direct line between the recent surge of demonstrations and the imposition of foreign travel bans on three individuals, including former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. “The unrest and noise that was not seen during the more than 90 days Suresh Salley was in custody has now suddenly been created following the imposition of foreign travel bans on three individuals, including Gotabaya Rajapaksa,” he said. “It is clear that a certain group is acting with an agenda in this regard.”
The minister singled out the sathyagraha campaign launched in support of Salley opposite the Fort Railway Station, saying it would not interfere with the investigation. “Keeping 10 or 15 people overnight will not in any way hinder the Criminal Investigation Department from continuing its work,” he said. He added that the former State Intelligence Service chief, as a senior military intelligence officer, would know that cooperation was the proper response to a probe into “a brutal crime such as the Easter Sunday attacks”. “If one is not guilty, the best course of action is to cooperate with the investigation,” Jayatissa said.
The Cabinet spokesman warned that media briefings or public statements that criticised officials while court proceedings were ongoing would be referred to the bench. “If anyone behaves in a manner that obstructs investigations or makes statements that interfere with the process, the Criminal Investigation Department will report the facts to court. The court will then take appropriate action,” he said.
He went further, accusing the protesters of having a political objective. “There is a political objective behind these attempts to disrupt the investigation. There is a clear intention to conceal the political connections linked to the Easter Sunday attacks,” he said, echoing the language used last week by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and by the CID team naming Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila and Dilith Jayaweera as obstruction targets. The remarks land hours after SJB MP Mujibur Rahuman publicly questioned why Hejaaz Hizbullah was framed and amid continued debate over Salley’s PTA detention.
