President appoints 3-member committee to probe Channel 4 allegations on Easter Sunday attacks

President Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed a three-member committee to thoroughly investigate the allegations aired by British broadcaster Channel 4 in its recent documentary.

The committee is chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice S.I. Imam with retired Air Force Commander A.C.M. Jayalath Weerakkody and Harsha A.J. Soza PC.

This committee’s primary mission is to investigate the serious allegations recently brought to light by Channel 4 in a broadcast video.

On 6 September, Channel 4 aired a nearly 50-minute-long video titled ‘Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings’ with serious yet straightforward allegations about the bombings. The devastating attacks rocked the country, targeting Catholic churches and luxury hotels. The carnage claimed the lives of over 260 people and left hundreds of others wounded.

The exposé by Chanel 4 was based on the testimonies of high-placed whistleblowers who alleged that senior Governmental officials were complicit in this heinous act. 

Wickremesinghe’s announcement of a fresh local investigation last week fell short of calls from the country’s Catholic Church for an independent international inquiry. 

The alleged involvement of local intelligence operatives in the attacks has already been raised in courts, but no one has been prosecuted. 

Several local investigations into the attacks found authorities had failed to act on warnings from an Indian intelligence agency 17 days before the bombings that an attack was imminent.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has also urged an independent investigation with international help to establish the ‘full circumstances’ of the bombings.