Gammanpila exposes his Key Allegations on Unpublished Easter Attack Reports

Gammanpila explained that both reports, one led by a committee chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice S.I. Imam and the other by retired Justice A.N.J. de Alwis highlight the serious lapses in handling intelligence about the attack. The reports state that Seneviratne, who was the head of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at the time, had been informed of the planned attacks, including threats targeting churches, but failed to take immediate action.

According to the reports, on April 9, 2019, Seneviratne was informed by the head of the State Intelligence Service about the possibility of attacks by the Thowheed Jammath militant group, led by Zahran Hashim. However, Seneviratne was overseas from April 9 to 16, 2019, and appointed Officer Nagamulla to take charge in his absence. Despite this, the warning letter regarding the attacks was not passed to Officer Nagamulla, leaving the critical information unattended for nearly 12 days.

The investigation also revealed that the CID office had been instructed by Seneviratne not to open any confidential letters addressed to him during his absence. As a result, the letter containing the intelligence was left on his desk for an extended period, leaving authorities without critical information that could have prevented the attacks.

Gammanpila further pointed out that Seneviratne had received 13 separate reports on the activities of Zahran Hashim and his associates between January and April 2019, yet failed to take any significant action. These reports included details of incidents like the destruction of a Buddha statue in Mawanella, religious tensions in Katandy, and the discovery of explosives in Wanathavilluwa, all linked to the extremist group.

The second investigative report, chaired by Justice A.N.J. de Alwis, noted that Seneviratne had legal obligations to prevent the attacks, but his inaction left the country vulnerable. Page 41 of the report even suggests that legal action should be taken against Seneviratne for his negligence in handling the information.

Despite these serious allegations, Seneviratne has been appointed as the high-ranking official in charge of the Ministry of Public Security, which oversees the Sri Lanka Police. Gammanpila raised concerns about the impartiality of any future investigations into the Easter attacks under Seneviratne’s leadership, questioning whether victims and their families would receive justice.

In addition to the accusations regarding the Easter Sunday attacks, Gammanpila highlighted that Seneviratne had a history of controversial incidents, including a past arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol and causing an accident. The former MP argued that these incidents should have disqualified Seneviratne from holding such a crucial position in the Ministry of Public Security.

Gammanpila also claimed that the government is withholding the two investigation reports because they implicate key individuals, including Seneviratne, and may cause embarrassment to those appointed to high-ranking positions by the current President. He called for immediate action to remove Seneviratne from his post, arguing that it would not be possible for the Police to conduct an impartial investigation under his leadership.

In conclusion, Gammanpila demanded that the President issue a public apology for allegedly attempting to conceal the investigation findings. He warned that if the President fails to act, he would pursue impeachment proceedings in Parliament, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in the investigation into the Easter Sunday attacks.