The Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar has sentenced former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara to death. A majority decision by the three-judge bench found both former top officials guilty of criminal negligence, dereliction of duty, and aiding and abetting murder by failing to take preventive action despite receiving prior intelligence regarding the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks.
The verdict, delivered on July 31, was a split decision by the bench comprising High Court Judges Priyantha Liyanage, Viraj Weerasuriya, and Thilakarathna Bandara. High Court Judges Priyantha Liyanage (Bench President) and Thilakarathna Bandara delivered the majority ruling convicting the defendants, while Judge Viraj Weerasuriya dissented, stating that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt and acquitted both accused.
Delivering the majority ruling against former IGP Pujith Jayasundara, Presiding Judge Priyantha Liyanage highlighted that the former police chief had failed in his fundamental duty to protect citizens. The court noted that on the evening of April 20, 2019, then-Director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), Nilantha Jayawardena, directly informed Jayasundara that suicide attacks were planned for the following day on Catholic churches and luxury hotels in Colombo and surrounding areas. Despite having this critical intelligence, the former IGP took no action to prevent the disaster, which ultimately led to 268 deaths and left 586 injured.
Regarding former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, the court convicted him on 854 out of the 855 counts filed against him. Presiding Judge Liyanage stated that Fernando was similarly forewarned by the SIS Director on the eve of the attacks. As Defense Secretary, Fernando possessed the authority to convene security council meetings and coordinate emergency preventive measures with the armed forces, but failed to take any action despite knowing that mass casualties could occur.
The legal proceedings followed a lengthy judicial process. The Attorney General originally filed 855 indictment charges against both officials in the Colombo High Court. On February 18, 2022, a previous Trial-at-Bar bench had acquitted both defendants without calling for defense evidence, citing that the SIS had failed to provide specific intelligence. However, following an appeal by the Attorney General, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court overturned that acquittal on November 5, 2024, ordering the High Court to recall defense evidence, which led to the re-examination and ultimate conviction before the present bench.
The trial stems from the tragic Easter Sunday bombings on April 21, 2019, when a group of local Islamist extremists carried out coordinated suicide attacks targeting three churches and three luxury hotels in Colombo, along with additional explosions in Dehiwala and Dematagoda. The attacks resulted in over 270 fatalities and left more than 500 people wounded.
