AG seeks Trial-at-Bar to hear case against 25 Easter Sunday terror attacks accused

Wednesday, 11 August 2021 02:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Forwards incidents against 25 accused to CJ
Requests Trial-at-Bar to hear the case
Accused face 23,270 charges including murder and conspiracy to murder
Police and AG officials put in months of work to prepare indictments
Public Security Min. says Govt. wants watertight case against suspects

The Attorney General (AG) yesterday forwarded indictments against 25 accused connected to the Easter Sunday bombings to Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya PC and requested him to appoint a Trial-at-Bar to hear the case.

The accused face 23,270 charges, including murder and conspiracy to murder. The indictments, comprising nine volumes, were forwarded to the AG last afternoon, the Daily FT learns.

The indictments come nearly two and a half years after the multiple bombings that killed more than 280 persons and left scores injured. These are the first to be indicted from over 200 suspects who are being held in connection with the terror attacks.

Several teams of officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) worked with the AG’s Department to finalise the indictments which have taken months of painstaking work.

“We want a watertight case against the suspects. They have hired attorneys who are seen as the best in the field, and if there is even a minor loophole on the part of the prosecution, they could go free,” Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekera told reporters recently.