Taking up the petition filed on the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka today ordered several former state officials, including former President Maithripala Sirisena, to produce their assets and liabilities.
Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara, and former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Chief Nilantha Jayawardena have also been ordered to produce their assets and liabilities.
The Supreme Court instructed the former state officials to produce their assets and liabilities through affidavits before December 30, 2023.
The order has been issued as the former state officials have failed to pay compensation in full to the victims and relatives of victims of the Easter attacks.
In January 2023, the Supreme Court ordered the group of former government officials to pay compensation for the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.
The order was issued by the Court as it announced the verdict concerning the case filed against Sirisena and several others over failing to prevent the Easter attacks despite having prior intelligence information.
The Supreme Court ordered former President Sirisena to pay Rs. 100 million, and former Secretary of Defence Hemasiri Fernando to pay Rs. 50 million in compensation to the victims of the Easter attacks.
The court also ordered former SIS Director Nilantha Jayawardena and former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara to pay Rs. 75 million each, and National Intelligence Chief Sisira Mendis is to pay Rs. 10 million as compensation to the victims.
The verdict was issued after 12 petitions filed by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, the families of the victims of the attacks, Catholic priests and several others were heard before a seven-member bench headed by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya. (NewsWire)