PCOI report to be handed over to President on Jan 31

Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCOI) probing Easter Sunday attacks will submit its final report to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on January 31, sources from the Commission informed Daily Mirror yesterday.

Currently, the Commission is trying to obtain evidence from former Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Director Shani Abeysekara and due to his health condition the Commission could not obtain evidence so far.

Sources from the Commission said that the PCOI is trying to obtain evidence from the former CID Director in the near future.

The tenure of the PCOI probing Easter Sunday attacks has been extended till January 31 on last December by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The PCOI was established on

September 20, 2019, for a period of six months and during the proceedings it had obtained three extensions.

It was extended till September 20, 2020, on March and again till December 20, 2020.

The Commission source informed that 436 people had testified before the Commission within the above mentioned period.

Currently, the Commission had recorded evidence from the suspects who were detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and those proceedings were not opened for media. (YOSHITHA PERERA)