SJB stalwart and former Minister Lakshman Kiriella has called for a court ruling to identify the mastermind behind the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, insisting the judicial process must proceed without political interference.
Speaking at a press conference, Kiriella noted that a 25-page ‘B’ report has been submitted to court — the first time such a comprehensive document has been placed before the judiciary on the case. He said successive governments had appointed multiple commissions whose recommendations yielded little progress.
“Now there is a report before the court,” he said, adding it was appropriate for all parties to await a judicial determination. “Why should anyone stand in the way of it? We have an excellent judicial system in our country.”
Kiriella acknowledged that allegations had been made against various individuals but stressed only the judiciary could make a final ruling on culpability.
The intervention comes a week after the seventh anniversary of the Easter attacks, which killed 269 people across churches and hotels on April 21, 2019. Former State Intelligence Service chief Suresh Sallay was arrested in February under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in connection with a suspected conspiracy, with his next court date set for April 22.
Separately, SJB MP Hector Appuhamy recently raised questions in Parliament about alleged intelligence failures dating back to 2017, suggesting the attack planning may have been known to authorities earlier than officially acknowledged.
