- Says seeking legal advice on further action
- 2nd report on ‘Ch. 4’ documentary allegation to be released today
Former Parliamentarian Udaya Gammanpila said that they are planning to commence a public petition by gathering signatures to urge President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to remove the current Public Security Ministry Secretary Ravi Senevirathne and Criminal Intelligence Analysis and Prevention Division Director Shani Abeysekara from the respective positions.
Senevirathne, the former Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and Abeysekera, its former Director, have been implicated in the report (which was released to the public by Gammanpila) prepared by the Committee of Inquiry (COI) chaired by retired High Court Judge A.N.J. De Alwis, which investigated specific aspects of the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks.
When asked by The Daily Morning as to whether the former MP was planning to take any legal action against Senevirathne or Abeysekara, Gammanpila said that as the initial step, a public petition is to be signed demanding the President to remove the duo from the positions they currently hold. “We can file a case over this matter, but we haven’t concluded the relevant legal consultation yet. Until then, we will sign a public petition to demand the President to remove them (Senevirathne and Abeysekara).”
The Committee led by De Alwis investigated potential lapses by the Police, including the CID, and State intelligence services in relation to the Easter Sunday attacks. Gammanpila recently set a deadline for President Dissanayake to release the report, along with another from a committee appointed by Wickremesinghe. After the Government missed the deadline, Gammanpila released one report and announced plans to release the other today (28).
Following its release, Public Security Minister Vijitha Herath told the media that the Government didn't accept the report in its entirety as it was politically motivated. He said that the relevant Committee targeted only Senevirathne and Abeysekara after they announced their support to the National People's Power (NPP) in the Presidential Election, and joined the Retired Police Forum affiliated to the National People's Power.