Minister of Public Security Rear Admiral (Retd.) Sarath Weerasekera told Parliament yesterday that he would personally meet the Attorney General tomorrow, December 7 to look into the progress of the legal action against the suspects allegedly held responsible for the eight multiple terror attacks on Easter Sunday last year.
Responding to a question by SJB parliamentarian Niroshan Perera, the Minister said at present 171 suspects are being held in remand custody and another 86 are under detention. Thereby, 257 suspects are in remand custody in connection with the Easter Sunday terror attacks. Minister Weerasekera told Parliament that all investigation files on these eight multiple terror attacks have been handed over to the Attorney General. “Therefore, I will personally meet the Attorney General tomorrow to review the progress on this issue.”
He said the Government has taken every possible measure to investigate the bombing incident. At present, the Presidential Commission is conducting hearings. When the Commission proceedings are finalised, we will be able to complete the investigations within a short time, he said. Minister Weerasekera said the Easter Sunday attacks were due to the collapse of the national intelligence services during the Yahapalana Government. At that time, intelligence officers were imprisoned based on bogus complaints and charges.
“As the Minister of Public Security, I wish to say that the Police has already taken steps to investigate this incident. All the suspects in connection with the eight terror attacks have been identified. In the near future, it would be possible to identify the masterminds who helped funding their terror campaigns.”
Chief Government Whip and Minister of Highways, Johnston Fernando called upon the main Opposition SJB not to take cheap political advantage from this incident. He said, “When we were in the Opposition we never indulged in such acts”.
The Minister said that some SJB MPs who criticised the Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith alleged that he engaged in politics by capitalising on this incident. Some SJB members even said that the Cardinal had made statements favourable to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Minister Fernando said, “The Government has already said that all those responsible for the Easter Sunday carnage will be brought to book. Unlike the SJB, we don’t conduct press conferences and make irresponsible statements that such and such persons will be arrested and remanded.” He said the present Government’s acts are a complete deviation of what the Yahapalana Government did. Today, all investigations are being carried out in a democratic and transparent manner, he added.
Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa said all those responsible for the terror attacks will be brought to book regardless of whether they are in the Government or the Opposition. “However, we call upon the Opposition not to politicise this issue to realise their narrow political objectives. Our Government will not cover up or defend anybody found guilty of this tragedy.”
Minister Rajapaksa said if MP Niroshan Perera had the same sympathy and interest when his Government was in power, they could have rescued the lives of the innocents who fell victim to the Easter Sunday attack. It was a prominent leader of Niroshan Perera’s party who personally criticised the Cardinal. Some of them have been given SJB National List MP slots.