• Amount received by those totally & permanently disabled, Rs. 29 Mn being processed for loss of breadwinners  

The Office for Reparations has paid a sum of Rs. 2,500,000 to persons who are permanently disabled, while another sum of Rs. 29,225,000 is to be paid for families that lost wage-earning members, out of the money that it has received from several respondents including former President and Defence Minister and incumbent Opposition Parliamentarian Maithripala Sirisena for the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 21 April, 2019, and their families,

As per the judgement issued by the Supreme Court (SC) with regard to several Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions, the Office maintained the fund to which the respondents should deposit the relevant sums of compensation amounting to a total of Rs. 311 million, and it had received Rs. 34,325,588.87 as of 11 September, 2023.

The Office stated that it had paid a sum of Rs. 2,500,000 to persons who have become totally and permanently disabled due to the terror attacks (Rs. 500,000 for each person). In addition, it stated that another sum of Rs. 29,225,000 is being processed to be paid to families that suffered an economic loss due to the death of a wage-earning family member in the terror attacks, and that one such family would be provided with a sum of Rs. 175,000.

“While the Office is deeply conscious of the emotional impact on a family as a result of the death of every family member irrespective of age, it was decided to utilise the limited funds available to provide relief on a priority basis to the families that suffered a financial loss as a result of the death of a family member who was or may have been contributing to the economy of the family unit at the time of the death. The Office proceeded on the assumption that every victim over 18 years was in that category. It does not wish to subordinate or trivialise the suffering of those who lost younger family members, but has proceeded only to provide relief for a financial loss,” a related communication from the Office read.

Delivering the judgement with regard to a total of 12 FR petitions filed by several parties, the SC, on 12 January 2023, held that Sirisena, the former Defence Ministry Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, the former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara, the former State Intelligence Service Director and incumbent Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police – Administration, Nilantha Jayawardena and the former Chief of National Intelligence Service Sisira Mendis had violated fundamental human rights by not preventing the Easter Sunday terror attacks. The SC ordered them to pay compensation to the victims of the attacks with Sirisena being ordered to pay the highest sum of compensation, Rs. 100 million. In addition, Jayasundara and Jayawardena were ordered to pay Rs. 75 million each, Fernando Rs. 50 million, Mendis Rs. 10 million and the Government and State Rs. 1 million.