BY RATHINDRA KUWUWITA
COLOMBO: Notice had been given to 14 VIPs including former President Maithripala Sirisena and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to ensure that their lawyers were present during the evidence given by former SIS director Nilantha Jayawardena yesterday at the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) investigating the Easter Sunday attacks.
Sirisena, Wickremesinghe, former state minister Ruwan Wijewardane, former ministers of law and order, Sagala Rathnayake and Ranjith Maddumabandara, former defence secretaries Kapila Waidyaratne, Karunasena Hettiarachchi and Hemasiri Fernando, former IGP Pujith Jayasundara, former CNI Sisira Mendis, former head of TID, Nalaka de Silva, Brigadier Chula Kodituwakku, former SDIG – CID Ravi Seneviratne and Director CID Shani Abeysekara had been asked to send legal representatives. They are expected to testify before the PCoI in the future.
In response Sirisena, Hettiarachchi, Mendis, Fernando, Jayasundara, Seneviratne and Abeysekara had sent legal representatives. Mendis and Abeysekara were present at the PCoI when the former SIS director gave evidence.
Counsel Pulasthi Rupasinghe with Harshana de Silva represented former President Maithripala Sirisena. Counsel Navoda Wijeratne appeared former Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi and Shanaka Bandara PC appeared for Sisira Mendis. Anura Meddegoda, PC appeared for former IGP Pujith Jayasundara while Counsel Dilshan Jayasuriya represented former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando. Counsel Upul Kumaraperuma represented former SDIG in charge of CID Ravi Senaviratne and former Director of CID Shani Abeysekara.
Counsel appearing for the former SIS Director, and the Additional Solicitor General, who led the evidence insisted that the evidence should be taken without the media. Jayawardena also insisted that he cared about national security and that he didn’t want any sensitive information to be published. However, given that around 150 documents, which involved Jayawardena, had been marked and discussed in public, the PCoI said while part of his testimony could be recorded in camera and the rest was open to the media.
(The Island)
