By Julian Jansen
Former President Maithripala Sirisena has accused Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of not distributing the funds or financial aid received to support the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks. Speaking to the media in Polonnaruwa on June 20, Sirisena claimed that most of the court cases against him were influenced by Cardinal Ranjith. He stated, “I have set a Guinness World Record with over four hundred court cases against me,” alleging that the cases were filed under the Cardinal’s instructions, seeking compensation for the deceased and injured.
Sirisena asserted that during his presidency, he compensated all the victims, but questioned the whereabouts of the funds received by Cardinal Ranjith from various Catholic organizations, international donors, Sri Lankan businessmen, and other parties. He challenged the Cardinal to provide a list of individuals who received the money and explain what happened to it, stating, “Not a single cent of those funds has been given to the victims.”
Sirisena expressed frustration over being personally sued for compensation, despite having disbursed government funds to the victims during his tenure as president.
