Easter Sunday case: Prosecution drops ex-CNI as witness

By A.J.A Abeynayake

The Attorney General informed the Colombo High Court yesterday that former Chief of National Intelligence (CNI) Sisira Mendis would not be a witness in the case against former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando over the Easter Sunday attacks.

Deputy Solicitor General Sudharshana de Silva appearing for the AG told the Court that although Sisira Mendis had earlier been named as a witness by the prosecution, he would not be questioned.

De Silva informed the court of the removal of Mendis from the list of witnesses by the prosecution when the case filed on charges of criminal negligence of duty by failing to prevent the Easter Sunday terror attacks, despite receiving intelligence information, in advance, was taken up before the special Trial-at-Bar yesterday.

High Court Judges Namal Balalle, Aditya Patabendige and Mohamed Irshadeen sat for the hearing of this legal matter in which Mendis was named as the third witness.

Further hearing into the case was postponed to 18 Jan.

Hemasiri Fernando served as the Defence Secretary during the Easter Sunday attacks while Pujith Jayasundara was the Inspector General of Police (IGP) at the time.

The final report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry appointed to probe the attacks implicated both Fernando and Jayasundara over the attacks.

They were accused of failing to prevent the attacks despite receiving intelligence information.

Fernando and Jayasundara were arrested in September 2019 in connection with ongoing investigations into the attacks.