*P CoI blamed for not making specific recommendation against Ranil

*The criminal responsibility of the head of the CNI and the SIS highlighted

*Respond within a month or face the consequences

By Norman Palihawadana and Shamindra Ferdinando

Catholic National Committee for Justice urged President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to implement Presidential Commission of Inquiry recommendations

(PCoI) to then President Maithripala Sirisena, who is also SLFP leader and then Prime Minister and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Yesterday (13), the Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm, Cardinal Ranjith, briefed the media at the Archbishop of Borella’s home on the steps taken by the committee to pressure the government to implement the recommendations. of the PCoI. The Archbishop blamed the SLPP administration for not implementing the PCoI recommendations five months after receiving them.

President Sirisena appointed the PCoI ahead of the last presidential election. His successor Gotabaya Rajapaksa retained the same commission.

An 18-page report sent to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, addressing specific alleged shortcomings on the part of the government of the day, was released by the cardinal to the media yesterday.

Referring to the PCoI report (PCoI Final Report Vol. 1, p 265), the Cardinal asked why the government had refrained from bringing criminal proceedings against Sirisena under an appropriate provision of the Penal Code. SLFP leader Sirisena now represents the ruling SLPP in parliament. The SLFP with a parliamentary group of 14 members is the second largest constituent of the government in power.

Cardinal Ranjith also criticized the PCoI for failing to make a specific recommendation to UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, despite acknowledging his role in facilitating Islamic extremism. Referring to the PCoI’s assessment of Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s soft approach to Islamic extremism that paved the way for the Easter Sunday carnage (P CoI Final Report Vol 1, p 276-277), the Cardinal a stated that they could not understand why a specific recommendation had not been made. Wickremesinghe recently reinstated parliament on the UNP’s national list.

The PCoI included Supreme Court Judge Janak de Silva, Court of Appeal Judge Nishshanka Bandula Karunaratne, retired Supreme Court Justices Nihal Sunil Rajapaksha and AL Bandula Kumara Atapattu and former Secretary of the Ministry of Justice WMMR Adhikari. HMP Buwaneka Herath served as P CoI secretary.

Cardinal said Wickremesinghe’s lax approach and irresponsible attitude should have been fully investigated.

The cardinal, on behalf of the Catholic National Committee for Justice, said unless the government responds positively within a month, it would be forced to resort to other means to obtain justice.

Signatories of note sent to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa are Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, Bishop Harold Anthony Perera, Bishop Devsritha Valence Mendis, Bishop Raymond Wickramasinghe, Bishop Maxwell Granville Silva, Bishop JD Anthony Jayakody , Bishop P. Anton Ranjith, Most Reverend Father Francis Nicholas Senanayake, Very Rev. Daya A. Shelton Welikadarachchi, Very Rev. S. Bertam Ranjith, Very Rev. Jayantha Sylvester Ranasinghe, Very Rev. Ciswan De Croos, Very Rev. Nihan Ivan Perera, Very Rev. Shantha Sagara Hettiarachchi, Very Rev. Manokumaran Nagaratnam, Very. Rev. Jude Freely Muthukudarachchi, Rev. Fr Cyril Gamini Fernando, Rev. CA Cecil Joy Evangelist Perera, Rev. Bro. Camille Fernando, Rev. Lawrence Ramanayake, Rev. Dilan Fernando SSS, Rev. Mahendra DP Goonetilleke, Rev. Lal Pushpadeva OMI, Rev. Bro. Deninton NS Subasinghe, Very Rev. Jude Samantha Kumara Fernando, Rev. P. Gihan T. Perera, Rev. Claude Nishantha Nonis, Rev. Fr LP Lalith Perera, Rev. Anton Jude Raj Fernando, Rev. H. Lakshman Sriilal Fonseka, Rev. Manjula Niroshan Fernando, Rev. Anton Gihan Nalin Gunetilleke, Rev. WD Jude Chrysantha Fernando, and the Rev. Bro. PAD Joseph Indika.

Noting that legal action was taken against then Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernndo for his failure to thwart the Easter Sunday attacks, the Catholic Church asked why no action had been taken in respect of retired former DIG Chief of National Intelligence Sisira Mendis and Director of Senior DIG State Intelligence Service Nilantha Jayawardena. The Church pointed out that the PCoI had recommended that the attorney general consider criminal charges against Mendis and Jayawardena under any appropriate provision of the Penal Code.

The Church pointed out that the P CoI made the recommendation on the basis that the available evidence indicated that there was criminal responsibility on the part of Mendis and Jayewardena.

He underlined that the recommendation P CoI with regard to the former DIG Western Province Nandana Munasinghe (criminal liability), DIG Colombo North Deshabandu Tennakoon (disciplinary investigation), SP Colombo North Sanjeewa Bandara (criminal liability), SP Chandana Atukorale ( Criminal Responsibility), Director of Western Province Intelligence Division BEI Prasanna (Criminal Responsibility), ASP S. Kumara (Disciplinary Investigation), Acting OCI, Chief Inspector of Fort RM Sarath Kumarasinghe, Chief Inspector of Fort of L ‘OCI Sagara Wilegoda Liyanage (criminal liability) and OCI Katana Chaminda Nawaratne (criminal liability) investigation).

The Church said that among the law enforcement officers involved, action had only been taken against then-IGP Pujith Jayasundera.