Karunasena Hettiarachchi says Former CNI failed to fulfill responsibilities

PCoI on Easter Sunday bombings 

• CNI had to provide intelligence analysis to political and security heads at NSC

By Yoshitha Perera   

Former Chief of National Intelligence (CNI) Sisira Mendis had failed to fulfill the responsibility assigned to him during the period of the former ‘Yahapalana’ government, a former Defence Secretary, Karunasena Hettiarachchi informed the PCoI probing the Easter Sunday attacks, on Thursday.   

Testifying before the Commission he said, the CNI is the official in-charge of directing and overseeing the intelligence reports and agencies in the country.   

“We wanted CNI to provide an intelligence analysis to all political and security heads represented National Security Council (NSC). However, we never received that,” he said. 

 
Explaining an intelligence analysis, Mr. Hettiarachchi said that it is an application of individual and collective cognitive methods to weigh data and test hypotheses within a secret socio-cultural context.   
“To make this analysis CNI could have sought expertise advice and their assistance. There are many sociologists, economists and statisticians who were willing to provide their assistance. Targeting the above purpose, the former government had also created Institute of National Security,” he said.   

When Commissioners questioned about the administrative relationship between the CNI and the State Intelligence Service (SIS), Mr. Hettiarachchi said that SIS had to send its intelligence reports to the CNI and the SIS could take instructions from the CNI.   

Earlier, testifying before the Commission former CNI Director Sisira Mendis informed the Commission that even though he had served in the post before the terror attack, the then SIS Director Nilantha Jayawardena, had never sought any advice from him.   

• SIS had to send intelligence reports to CNI

Former Defence Secretary Hettiarachchi also added that according to the current Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), the law enforcement authorities could not take any legal action against terrorists and cyber crimes from other countries.