by Se. Piyawardena.
Former president, Maitheepala Sirisena who is known as ‘Hitan Sira’, has put his foot in the mouth again.
Sirisena said that he knows the people who actually carried out the Easter attack and is ready to make a statement if the court makes a request or order.
This is a statement he can be jailed in a country of rule of law.
He said this while speaking to the media after participating in an event held in Kandy.
Sirisena has indicated that he will reveal the information only if it is the responsibility of those judges to maintain confidentiality.
Although Sirisena is ignorant even evidence given in the chamber or camera before a judge is kept confidential only until the trial. There is no way evidence can be kept secret forever.
Moreover, Sirisena testified before the Easter Sunday Commission of Inquiry and did not reveal what he says he knows.
Nothing like that was said in the case before the Supreme Court where Sirisena was charged and fined one hundred million.
Sirisena had made another similar statement earlier saying that the Commission of Easter Sunday Investigation had given a confidential report to the then President Gotabhaya. Sirisena asked where that report is?
It is a punishable offense to know and cover up the terrorist acts like the Easter Sunday bombing in which nearly 300 innocent people were killed.
Imprisonment Law: From the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Prominent spice businessman Mohammad Ibrahim, the father of Mohammad Ilham and Mohammad Insaf, has been charged with knowingly withholding information about his two sons who took in the suicide bombing attacks on 21 April 2019.
During the war, many Tamils were arrested on the same counts. Father Sinharayar and Nirmala Nithyanandan were arrested in the early 80s for not providing information on number of LTTE armed attacks.
Under Section 21 of the Criminal Procedure Code, of Sri Lanka this is an offense arrestable without a warrant.
Here is the relevant section:
Code Of Criminal Procedure Act (No. 15 of 1979) – Sect 21
Public to give information of certain offences.
“21. Every person aware-
(a) of the commission of or the intention of any other person to commit any offence punishable under the following sections of the Penal Code namely, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 126, 296, 297, 371, 380, 381, 382, 383, 384, 418, 419, 435, 436, 442, 443, 444, 445 and 446 ;
(b) of any sudden or unnatural death or death by violence, or of any death under suspicions circumstances, or of the body of any person being found dead without it being known how such person came by death,
shall in the absence of reasonable excuse-the burden of proving which shall lie upon the person so aware-forthwith give information to the nearest Magistrate’s Court or to the officer in charge of the nearest police station or to a peace officer or to the Grama Seva Niladhari of the nearest village of such commission or intention or of such sudden unnatural or violent death or death under suspicious circumstances or of the finding of such dead body.”
Sirisena will have to face the law one day for not revealing the real masterminds of the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, opposition MPs have called for the arrest of Sirisena on the charges enumerated above.
Opposition MPs Mano Ganesan and Kavinda Jayawardene called for the immediate arrest of former President Maithripala Sirisena and to interrogate him regarding the remark he made on Friday, stating that he is aware of the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks, reports Daily Mirror.
MP Kavinda Jayawardene had lodged a complaint with the CID against Sirisena yesterday.”We want the former President arrested immediately and produced before courts,” he has said.