Sri Lanka's Former Police Chief Sentenced to Death for 2019 Easter Attacks
High Court Ruling in Sri Lanka
File image of Sri Lanka's former IGP Pujith Jayasundara(Photo: IANS)
Colombo, Aug 1: A three-judge panel from the High Court in Sri Lanka has handed down a death sentence to former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara. The majority of the judges found him guilty of negligence in preventing the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, despite having received prior intelligence about the threats.
On Friday, the court convicted Jayasundara for failing to act on warnings regarding planned suicide bombings targeting Catholic churches and tourist hotels in Colombo and nearby areas.
Judges Priyantha Liyanage and Thilakaratne Bandara delivered the majority opinion, while Judge Viraj Weerasuriya dissented, as reported by a news agency.
During the announcement of the majority verdict, presiding Judge Liyanage emphasized that Jayasundara, as the police chief at the time, held the responsibility for ensuring public safety and security.
The court noted that Nilantha Jayawardena, who was the director of the State Intelligence Service, had alerted Jayasundara on the evening of April 20, 2019, about the imminent suicide attacks.
Despite this critical information, Jayasundara did not take any preventive actions, according to the court's findings.
The majority judges criticized Jayasundara for neglecting his duties as a state official tasked with crime prevention and public protection, leading to the imposition of the death penalty due to the severity of his offenses.
In contrast, Judge Weerasuriya, in his dissenting opinion, argued that the prosecution did not establish the charges against Jayasundara beyond a reasonable doubt, resulting in his acquittal. The court deliberated for over four hours before reaching its decision.
On the same day, the court also convicted former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando for his inaction regarding intelligence warnings prior to the 2019 attacks, sentencing him to death as well.
The coordinated bombings on April 21, 2019, resulted in the deaths of over 260 individuals and left more than 500 others injured, as stated in the judgment.