Oshala Herath, Chairman of the New Independent Front and a Presidential candidate in the upcoming September 21st elections, confirms that Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith suspects that the key figures behind the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which claimed the lives of 269 people including locals and foreigners, may include former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Major General Suresh Sallay, Director of the State Intelligence Service, or India’s R&AW agency.
In an interview with Colombo Telegraph, Herath revealed that he had a meeting with Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith who had expressed his opinion, after which he assured the Cardinal that, if elected, he would initiate a commission to thoroughly investigate whether former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Major General Suresh Sallay, or the R&AW agency of India had any involvement in orchestrating or executing the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.
A letter handed over to Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith by Presidential candidate Herath reads ” As we all witness, even five years after the attack, the deceased remain unable to rest in peace, and the victims’ relatives continue to struggle to move forward with their lives. As your Eminence highlighted, the perpetrators of the conspiracy behind the attack are believed to be still at large. It is evident that the victims’ families, the church, and some publics are dissatisfied with the outcomes of the presidential commission appointed to investigate the matter. As a result, politicians in this country have exploited this issue for political gain in every election since the incident. Therefore, once elected as the President, I intend to decisively resolve the mystery behind the Easter Sunday attack by conducting a thorough and transparent investigation that will satisfy the concerned parties.”
Herath also believes that this commission will also be a good thing for even the alleged conspirators to clear their names if in the even their innocence is proven. Captivating this part his letter states “By implementing the specific mandate outlined above, it would also be in the best interest of Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as it provides an open opportunity for him to confirm his integrity and clear any doubts in Your Lordship’s mind, as well as the concern publics, regarding the accusations made against him in relation to the Easter Sunday issue openly.”
