Easter bombings: Sirisena pays first compensation to victims

Convicted in early 2023 along with police and law enforcement leaders, the former president - who was in office during the 2019 massacres in Colombo - has paid the first instalment of the fine he owes. The relatives of the dead and survivors, however, received only 28 of the 311 million rupees stipulated by the court.

Colombo (Asia News) - Former president Maithripala Sirisena has paid the first instalment - of 15 million rupees (over 43 thousand euros) - of the compensation due to the victims of the 2019 Easter attacks in Sri Lanka.

According to the judgment of the Colombo court judges, Sirisena was guilty of 'negligence in the performance of his duties' while serving as president and defence minister at the time of the events. Hence, he was sentenced under Section 298 of the Criminal Code of the country to compensation of 100 million rupees (about 250,000 Euro).

The terrorist attacks on 21 April four years ago hit three churches, four hotels and a residential complex. The perpetrators were, according to the local authorities, 7 Sri Lankan citizens associated with the national Thowteeth Jama'ath, a jihadist organisation. There were 269 victims and more than 500 people were injured.

At the beginning of 2023, the Supreme Court ordered those who were then at the top of the state to provide compensation for the victims of the Easter 2019 attacks, as they were held responsible for negligence on warnings of an imminent terrorist attack.

The order was addressed not only to former President Sirisena, but also to former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara, former Defence Minister Hemasiri Fernando, and former Directors of Security Services Nilantha Jayawardena and Sisira Mendis, all of whom were found guilty of failing to prevent the massacre.

In detail, the Supreme Court ordered the former president to pay a sum of 100 million rupees, the police chief and the former head of the external intelligence services will have to pay 75 million rupees (EUR 188,000), the former Defence Minister 50 million rupees (EUR 125,000), and the former head of the internal security services 10 million rupees (EUR 25,000).

In detail, the Supreme Court ordered the former president to pay a sum of 100 million rupees, the police chief and the former head of the external intelligence services to pay 75 million rupees (EUR 188,000), the former defence minister 50 million rupees (EUR 125,000), and the former head of the internal security services 10 million rupees (EUR 25,000).

At the request of the High Court - before the 12 July deadline - Sirisena paid the first compensation instalment. On this occasion, his lawyers filed an application requesting that he be allowed to pay the remaining sum - 85 million rupees - in 10 instalments to be paid between 30 June 2024 and 20 June 2033.

In the meantime, the Treasury paid a sum of R1 million in compensation on behalf of the government, the first tranche of the total sum of R311 million imposed by the court as compensation to the relatives of the victims of the Easter bombing, who have currently only received R28 million to be divided between the families of the dead and injured.

The former president receives a pension of 97,500 rupees annually from the state coffers as a former president, and a sum of 54,285 rupees as a former parliamentarian. On this occasion, Maithripala Sirisena again affirmed his extraneousness to the information in the government's possession about the organisation of the attacks: 'The defence authorities had not informed me about a plot to carry out the 21 April 2019 attacks,' he said.