PCoI on Easter attacks to record statements from Cardinal post-Christmas, court told

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The Presidential Commission probing the terror attacks on Easter Sunday is scheduled to meet today (23).

The panel also convened last week to record statements from several police officers.

It was revealed that on April 11 this year, a letter containing a forewarning of a possible terror attack targeting the Indian High Commission and several Catholic churches in Sri Lanka was received by the office of SP Sanjeewa Bandara who was in charge of Colombo North Division.

Inspector of Police R.S. Upendra admitted that SP Bandara had talked to him about replicating the logbooks of Kotahena Police with fabricated information in following the Easter Sunday attacks. He also revealed that the content of the statements he had recorded so far was influenced by SP Bandara.

In the meantime, Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, speaking on behalf of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court today (23), said that more statements will be recorded from His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith post-Christmas.

He stated this when former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara were produced before the court this morning. The case was taken up before Colombo Additional Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage, who ordered to further remand the duo until the 6th of January.

The Deputy Solicitor General also revealed that the CID is planning to record statements from former President, former Prime Minister as well as Speaker of Parliament.

Although requests have been made seeking permission to record statements from former President and several secretaries,