Cabinet Media Spokesman Minister Vijitha Herath emphasized today (22) that the government has not made any decision to remove former Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) Ravi Senavitharatne and former Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shani Abeysekera from their positions.
He expressed these views during a media briefing held to inform the public about recent Cabinet decisions.
Minister Herath referred to the committee report published by former Parliamentarian Udaya Gammanpila, stating that it was prepared by a retired judge with a questionable track record. He claimed that the former MP is attempting to remove Senavitharatne and Abeysekera in an effort to derail the investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks.
During the briefing, Minister Herath also provided details about the background of the committee behind the report released by Gammanpila.
He explained:
“Initially, Maithripala Sirisena appointed a committee to investigate the Easter Sunday attacks, chaired by Supreme Court Justice Vijitha Mallalgoda and former Inspector General of Police Ilangakoon. A preliminary report was submitted by this committee. Following that, a special parliamentary select committee was formed, which called witnesses and conducted its own investigation, ultimately submitting a final report to Parliament.
Additionally, the former president established a Special Presidential Investigation Commission, led by Supreme Court Justice Janak de Silva, along with a team of auditors and senior officials. This commission held extensive hearings and presented a detailed report.
Throughout this period, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and other agencies continued their investigations. However, political interference led to the dismissal or transfer of key officers involved in the investigations, disrupting the process. This is the reality the public is aware of.
This is why there has been a consistent demand, particularly from Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and the Catholic Church, for a thorough investigation into the Easter attacks.
I remember that Father Cyril Gamini, on behalf of the Catholic Church, made a request for a proper investigation into 16 key points related to the attacks. However, no proper investigation was ever conducted into these matters.
On June 9, 2024, a Police Retirement Collective was formed alongside political developments leading up to the presidential election. Just three days later, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed a committee to investigate potential lapses in the Easter attack investigation, as well as the Vavunativ incident.
The committee was composed of former Kegalle High Court judge Jaiki de Alwis, former Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries Nayana Somaratne, and another lawyer. A second committee was also appointed to investigate a documentary aired by Channel Four.
These are not presidential commissions of inquiry with judicial powers but rather simple fact-finding committees.
Former MP Udaya Gammanpila is using these committee reports to further his political agenda, despite the fact that previous official commissions had already examined the Easter attacks.
Now, I want to raise some questions about the qualifications of Jaiki de Alwis, who chaired the committee report that Gammanpila released to the public.
Jaiki de Alwis was removed from judicial service in 2000 due to allegations of misconduct, but she was reappointed years later without seniority. Why was someone with such a background selected to lead such an important committee?
We, as a government, do not accept the recommendations of these committees. This is clearly political manipulation by President Wickremesinghe, appointing a judge with a history of misconduct to serve his interests.
Let me assure the public that we are conducting a fair and impartial investigation into the Easter attacks, and we will ensure that justice is served for the victims.”
