By The former President, Maithripala Sirisena, who stirred controversy by claiming he is aware of the masterminds behind the Easter Sunday terror attacks in April 2019, finds himself with no option but to appear in court and disclose all he claims to know. Speculation abounds that the former President, known for his contradictory statements, made this claim to carve out some political space for himself.
As Father Cyril Gamini remarked, the former President made this claim in passing while walking past a group of local media correspondents, rather than in a deliberate press conference or formal conversation. Maithripala Sirisena, who handed over the premiership to Mahinda Rajapaksha abruptly for 52 days, did not miss the opportunity to blame the Rajapakshas for mismanaging the economy. Clearly, the former President sought political mileage from the statement made to provincial reporters in Kandy.
Covering Tracks
The following day, when questioned about why he had not revealed this information earlier, he likely attempted to cover his tracks by stating he received the information only three weeks ago. Father Cyril Gamini rightly questioned the significance of this delay, as three weeks is a considerable amount of time for such sensitive and critical information not to be disclosed earlier.
There are social media commentaries speculating that this is a political stunt to pressure the Rajapakshas, who have been criticized by the Catholic Church for not facilitating a transparent and credible inquiry. Some suggest that Maithripala Sirisena is supporting the presidential aspirations of Ranil Wickramasinha. Others point out that he may be making feeble attempts to absolve himself of blame for the failure to prevent the carnage and repair his image.
Lightning Speed
However, the impending court appearance may clarify some of these doubts. It’s noteworthy that the Attorney General and the Police have acted swiftly. Former Attorney General Dappula De Livera, in early May 2021, stated, “There is a Grand Conspiracy with regard to the 2019 April Attacks.” Despite being called to record a statement, progress in the investigation has been slow
