Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Dileepa Peiris on Wednesday told the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court that investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks are facing serious obstruction due to the alleged intimidation of witnesses by Army intelligence personnel, even as prosecutors insisted that all those responsible would be brought before the court before the eighth anniversary of the attacks in 2027.
Addressing the court when the case relating to alleged attempts to derail investigations into the 2018 Vavunathivu police killings and the 2019 Sainthamaruthu explosion was taken up, Peiris said several witnesses who had previously given statements were now under pressure to retract their testimony. He alleged that following the previous hearing, intelligence officers had visited the home of a key witness and issued threats, and warned of a coordinated plan to fabricate evidence by planting weapons at the witness’s residence and effecting an arrest through another law enforcement unit.
Peiris further alleged that obstructions to the investigation were continuing and stressed that the Easter Sunday attacks could not have been carried out without organised and long‑term planning. He told the court that investigators were determined to ensure the case would not reach another major anniversary without substantive legal action and reiterated the prosecution’s commitment to present all alleged conspirators before the court within the coming year.
The matter was called before Colombo Fort Magistrate Isuru Neththikumara, who described the case as extremely sensitive and cautioned that all assertions placed before the court must be supported by evidence capable of meeting the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. “This is not a game,” the Magistrate observed, urging investigators to place only verifiable material before the court.
Former Director of the State Intelligence Service, retired Major General Suresh Sallay—named as the third suspect in the case—was produced before court by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Sallay remains in detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, and the Magistrate ordered that he be further detained while directing the CID to submit a detailed progress report on the investigation by May 20.
During submissions, Peiris told the court that earlier opportunities to expose those behind the Easter Sunday attacks had been deliberately suppressed, alleging that certain intelligence-linked operations had shielded key figures and hindered accountability. He said the current investigation had uncovered material linking the attacks to a broader organised conspiracy, and that the Attorney General’s Department would pursue action against any state officials who fail to assist the ongoing probe.
Counsel representing Suresh Sallay rejected the allegations and argued that several of the incidents referred to by the prosecution had occurred at times when his client was neither serving as intelligence chief nor present in the country. The defence also informed the court that the suspect is considering making a special statement at a future hearing, a matter noted by the Magistrate.
After considering submissions from both sides, Magistrate Neththikumara extended Sallay’s detention and set the next date for the hearing, reiterating that the court expects clear, provable evidence as the investigation proceeds in what he described as one of the most sensitive cases before the judiciary.