In a fiery press conference, a top Catholic priest has demanded the death penalty not just imprisonment for former SIS Director Nilantha Jayawardena over his role in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. Father Jude Krishantha Fernando accuses Jayawardena of gross negligence and implicates three former presidents Sirisena, Gotabaya, and Wickremesinghe of shielding a “corrupt official” to bury a deeper political conspiracy. The call for justice now targets Sri Lanka’s highest offices.
In an explosive statement that has sent shockwaves across the country, father Jude Krishantha has called for the death penalty, not merely a prison sentence for former Director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena. The demand comes after the National Police Commission recently dismissed Jayawardena over his failure to act on prior intelligence regarding the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks that claimed more than 260 lives.
Father Jude Crishantha Fernando, the Director of Public Communications for the Archdiocese of Colombo, voiced this strong stance during a press conference convened by the Catholic Council. He stated that the scale of Nilantha Jayawardena’s dereliction of duty was so grave that only capital punishment would be just.
“Judicial action must be taken against this man. Life imprisonment is not enough. He deserves the death penalty,” said Father Jude.
He went on to raise alarming allegations implicating three successive Sri Lankan presidents Maithripala Sirisena, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and Ranil Wickremesinghe for allegedly protecting Jayawardena over a span of six years. Father Jude suggested that all three leaders had secrets to hide, which is why they retained Jayawardena in such a critical security role despite repeated public outrage.
“Despite knowing that a bomb attack was imminent, Maithripala Sirisena left the country for Singapore without appointing a defense minister and only returned a day after the attack,” he said.
The priest claimed that Sirisena’s absence and lack of action could not have been coincidental, raising suspicions of higher powers influencing the orchestration of the events.
“It’s not just about Saharan. We suspect there was a much greater power involved one that went far beyond him. That’s why Maithripala Sirisena must be investigated. Was he pressured to allow this attack to happen?” he asked.
Father Jude further questioned why no action was taken over the course of multiple administrations.
“We now question why all three presidents protected such a corrupt official. What were they all trying to hide? Why did they keep him in power for so long?”
He emphasized the need for an impartial and transparent investigation and declared that being a president should not be grounds for immunity from justice.
“Whether it’s Sirisena, Gotabaya, or Ranil, they must all be brought before court. It doesn’t matter if you’re the president—justice must be done. The entire root of this conspiracy must be exposed and those responsible, punished accordingly,” he said.
Father Jude Krishantha has been at the forefront of calling for justice for the victims of the Easter Sunday bombings. With this latest demand, pressure mounts on the government and judicial institutions to act decisively and transparently in what remains one of Sri Lanka’s darkest chapters in recent history.
