Supreme Court orders Maithripala and 3 others to submit reports on assets

The Supreme Court today (Nov. 02) ordered four respondents in fundamental rights (FR) petitions filed over the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings to declare their assets and liabilities through affidavits, submitted on or before December 30, 2023.

As such, former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara and former chief of State Intelligence Service (SIS) Nilantha Jayawardena were instructed to declare their assets and liabilities.

The Supreme Court bench gave the order after taking into account the fact that the four respondents failed to pay the total amount of compensation they were required to.

Additionally, the judge bench called for a comprehensive report from the Attorney General on the disciplinary action taken against ex-SIS chief Jayawardena before December 30, 2023.

On January 12, 2023, the Supreme Court found that former President Sirisena, former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, former IGP Pujith Jayasundara, former National Intelligence Chief Sisira Mendis and former SIS chief Nilantha Jayawardena had violated the fundamental rights of the people by failing to take action to prevent the Easter Sunday bombings despite receiving sufficient intelligence information.

Thus, in its verdict, the judge bench had ordered Sirisena to pay Rs. 100 million in compensation to the petitioners from his personal money, while Pujith Jayasundara and Nilantha Jayawardena were each ordered to pay Rs. 75 million. In addition, Hemasiri Fernando and Sisira Mendis were ordered to pay Rs. 50 million and Rs. 10 million, respectively.

The relevant order was delivered by a seven-member Supreme Court Judge bench, with regard to the 12 petitions filed by various parties stating that their fundamental rights were violated by negligence and failure to prevent the coordinated terrorist attacks on April 21, 2019.

In July 2023, it was reported that the former president had paid a sum of Rs. 15 million ahead of the deadline, while Hemasiri Fernando, Pujith Jayasundara and Sisira Mendis had paid Rs. 1 million, Rs. 1,725,588 and Rs. 5 million, respectively.

Sirisena had also filed a motion requesting that he be allowed to pay the remaining sum in 10 installments of Rs. 8.5 million between June 30, 2024 and June 20, 2033. In the motion filed through his lawyers, Sirisena had explained that he receives a pension of Rs. 97,500 as the former President, along with a sum of Rs. 54,285 for his services as a Member of Parliament. Thus, the former president requested that he be granted a period of 9 years to pay the remainder of the Rs. 100 million.