INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Former President Maithripala Sirisena has completed the payments of compensation of Rs
100 million to the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks as ordered by the Supreme Court.Accordingly, it is reported that the former
President has paid the remaining amount of Rs
12 million on August 16, thereby completing the total compensation payment ordered by the court.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 Chief of State Intelligence Nilantha Jayawardena have violated the Fundamental Rights of petitioners, by
failing to take action to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks despite receiving sufficient intelligence information.As a result, they were
ordered to pay compensation to the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks, Ada Derana reporter said.Accordingly, the Supreme Court ordered
former President Sirisena to pay Rs
100 million in compensation to the petitioners, former IGP Pujith Jayasundara and the former SIS Director Nilantha Jayawardena were each
75 million, former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando was ordered to pay Rs
50 million and former National Intelligence Director Sisira Mendis was ordered to pay Rs
10 million from their personal money.In addition, the judgment also stated that the government should pay Rs
01 million in compensation to the victims.The order was issued by a seven-member Supreme Court Judge bench, delivering its decision with
failure to prevent the terrorist attacks on April 21, 2019.The 12 petitions were filed by a group of individuals including Nandana
Sirimanna, whose two children were killed in the Easter Sunday attacks, tourism entrepreneur Janath Vidanage, three Catholic Fathers
Sarath Iddamalgoda and Attorney-at-Law Moditha Ekanayake, who was injured in the bombings at the Shangri-La Hotel.On July 15, the Supreme
Court had ordered former President Sirisena, former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara and former Chief of State
Intelligence Service (SIS) Nilantha Jayawardena, to complete their outstanding compensation payments before August 30, 2024.Furthermore, the
seven-member Supreme Court judge panel had ordered that if the relevant individuals fail to complete the payments before the said date,
58 million of the total Rs
100 million in compensation, which Sirisena had been ordered to pay the victims, had already been paid.Meanwhile, the former President had
also requested the court through his lawyers to extend the payment period for the remaining sum by six years
15 million as part of the compensation he was ordered to pay to the victims and filed a motion requesting that he be allowed to pay the
remaining sum in 10 instalments of Rs
8.5 million from 30 June 2024 to 20 June 2033.The deadline to complete the relevant compensation payments was initially set for July 12,
