Former Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Hemasiri Fernando told a Trial-at-Bar on Thursday that he believes former President Maithripala Sirisena had prior knowledge of intelligence warnings before the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.
Fernando, who is facing criminal dereliction of duty charges over his alleged failure to act on the intelligence, made the statement while testifying in his own defence. He said Sirisena, who served as Defence Minister and Commander-in-Chief at the time, was aware of the information.
He further alleged that the then State Intelligence Service Chief Nilantha Jayawardena was also aware of the intelligence and had acted to conceal it.
“The President, who was the Defence Minister and head of the armed forces, left the country. As the most senior official, I have been dragged into this case. If the information I presented had been properly examined, this case would not have been filed against me. Those responsible are still at large,” Fernando told court.
Sirisena was abroad in Singapore at the time of the April 21, 2019 coordinated suicide bombings, which killed more than 270 people across three churches and three luxury hotels. The attacks were carried out by an Islamic State-linked local group.
The Trial-at-Bar testimony marks the first time Fernando has made the allegation against Sirisena under oath in court. Sirisena was previously found by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to have failed in his executive responsibility, and the Supreme Court in 2023 ordered him to pay compensation to victims. He has not been criminally charged in connection with the attacks.
The Attorney General’s Department has prosecuted Fernando and former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara on dereliction of duty grounds, framing them as the senior officials responsible for failing to act on the intelligence. Separately, the prosecution has named Suresh Salley as the “key driving force” behind the attacks, while the CID has been pursuing questions about whether Sarah Jasmine, the wife of one of the bombers, survived — the latest report indicating she fled to India. The case continues.
