Pujith, Hemasiri get death sentence over Easter attacks

Saturday, 1 August 2026 01:31 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Former IGP Pujith Jayasundara

Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando

Trial-at-Bar convicts former Police Chief and former Defence Secretary after Supreme Court-ordered retrial

Majority bench finds both guilty of failing to act on prior intelligence warnings

A three-judge Colombo Trial-at-Bar yesterday sentenced former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando to death after finding them guilty on multiple charges, including criminal dereliction of duty for failing to act on intelligence warnings that preceded the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks.

The judgments followed retrials ordered by the Supreme Court after it set aside the pair’s earlier acquittals, holding that the Trial-at-Bar had erred in law by acquitting the accused without first calling upon them to present their defence.

The Attorney General had separately indicted Jayasundara and Fernando on charges including criminal negligence, criminal dereliction of duty and related offences arising from their alleged failure to act on intelligence information warning of the imminent Easter Sunday attacks.

On 18 February 2022, the then Trial-at-Bar acquitted both accused at the close of the prosecution’s case without calling for their defence.

The Attorney General subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the acquittals were contrary to law.

Allowing the appeal, the Supreme Court ruled that the accused should have been called upon to present their defence before any verdict was delivered. It set aside the acquittals and directed that the cases be retried.

Following the retrials, the Colombo Trial-at-Bar convicted both Jayasundara and Fernando, finding they had failed to take action to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks despite receiving prior intelligence warnings.

The judgments were delivered by the Trial-at-Bar comprising Judges Priyantha Liyanage, Viraj Weerasuriya and Tilakaratne Bandara.

Jayasundara was convicted and sentenced to death by a majority decision, with Judges Priyantha Liyanage and Tilakaratne Bandara finding him guilty, while Judge Viraj Weerasuriya dissented and acquitted the former IGP.

Fernando was also sentenced to death after being found guilty by the Trial-at-Bar on charges including criminal dereliction of duty for failing to act on prior intelligence warnings relating to the Easter Sunday attacks.