President and Minister of Defence Ranil Wickremesinghe has decided to appoint a committee chaired by a retired Supreme Court (SC) judge to inquire into the recent allegations made in a controversial documentary produced by Britain's Channel 4 on the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019.
The President's Media Division (PMD) yesterday (10) stated that, while a committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge would be appointed to look into the allegations, the Government intends to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to investigate the allegation levelled by a former Attorney General (AG), claiming that there was a mastermind behind the terror attacks.
When contacted by The Daily Morning, the Catholic Church stated that they would issue a statement on the latest move by the Government, later in the week. The Catholic Church, victims groups, civil society groups, and opposition parties have been critical of the investigations carried out by consecutive governments citing irregularities, lack of transparency, and credibility in the process. The Catholic Church has urged the Government to facilitate a transparent probe with international assistance into the tragedy.
Channel 4 last week broadcast the controversial documentary titled Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings, which contains startling accusations pertaining to the terror attacks. Citing their whistleblowers, the documentary claims that the bombings carried out by a group of extremists had been carried out with the alleged facilitation of some State officials to pave the way for the Rajapaksa's political family – particularly former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa – to come to power.
Speaking during a television programme in May 2021, former AG President's Counsel Dappula de Livera claimed that there had been clear evidence of a grand conspiracy linked to the terror attacks. Following the said statement, several parties had requested that the exposure be probed, and de Livera had even been summoned before the Terrorism Investigation Division to record a statement in April this year.