Easter attacks Compensation:  Former president pays Rs. 15 million 

Former President Maithripala Sirisena has paid Rs. 15 million as compensation, which he was ordered to pay to the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks in 2019. He seeks flexibility to pay the balance.

Former President Sirisena was, in January found, guilty in the case related to the Easter Sunday attacks and was ordered to pay Rs. 100 million as compensation to the petitioners.

Accordingly, ahead of the deadline on 12 July, Sirisena had paid Rs. 15 million as compensation on 28 June, on the orders of the Supreme Court, and filed a motion requesting that he be allowed to pay the remaining sum in 10 installments of Rs. 8.5 million from  30 June 2024 to 20 June 2033.

In a motion filed through his lawyers, the former President explained that he receives a pension of Rs. 97,500 as the former President, alongside a sum of Rs. 54,285 for his services as a Member of Parliament, thus, he requested that he be granted the aforementioned time period to pay the remainder of the ordered sum of Rs. 100 million.

Maithripala Sirisena had said in January,  that he did not receive information prior to the attacks in April 2019. And he will collect money from his friends to pay the compensation.

“The defence authorities had not informed me of a plot to carry out the attacks on 21st April 2019.” he had said.

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

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