Bishop Winston Fernando (left) receives a copy of a book reviewing government reports related to the Easter attacks from its author, Father Lal Pushpadewa Fernando, at an event on Feb. 19. (Photo: National Catholic Commission for Social Communication)
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has said that he has no faith left in the Sri Lankan government and the Attorney General (AG) department to investigate the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
“The present government has given promotions to officials who failed to prevent the Easter attacks,” said Cardinal Ranjith at the launch of Thitha (Full stop), a book authored by Father Lal Pushpadeva Fernando with the assistance of three editors, at Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall on Feb. 19.
The 448-page book was compiled by the National Catholic Commission for Social Communication after reviewing the government-appointed commission’s reports on the Easter bombings.
Bishops, priests, nuns and laymen attended the event presided over by Bishop Winston Fernando, chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka.
Cardinal Ranjith accused the current and former political leadership, AG department and the country’s intelligence services in a video message.
"Now, nearly three years since the attack, we can hardly accept that justice has been done. This government and the AG have hidden the evidence given by the Presidential Commission. We have sent letters asking for those volumes. Both the previous government and the present government have acted to conceal the evidence without considering any of those requests," he said.
We compiled the book with all the government-appointed commission reports related to the Easter attacks and would like the public to understand the recommendations
He further alleged that the present government had not fulfilled a single promise made to him and, due to the misconduct of the AG department, justice had not been served.
Father Fernando, national director for social communication, said the Easter attacks could have been halted.
"We compiled the book with all the government-appointed commission reports related to the Easter attacks and would like the public to understand the recommendations," he said.
A special National Catholic Committee of Bishops and Lawyers for Justice for the Easter Attacks regretted that “no action was taken” even though the Presidential Commission of Inquiry had recommended that criminal proceedings be instituted against former president Maithripala Sirisena and the then head of the State Intelligence Service.
Colombo High Court ordered Hemasiri Fernando, former defense secretary, and Pujitha Jayasundara, former inspector general of police, to be released on all charges including not preventing the Easter bombings on Feb. 19.
"An Indian intelligence agency had received direct and sensitive information about the attack four times on April 4, April 5, April 20, and April 21, 2019," the committee said.
