5 October 2020 12:00 am
By Yoshitha Perera
Former President Maithripala Sirisena will testify before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) probing Easter Sunday attacks today. The notice was issued to the former President on September 22, to appear before the Commission.
Earlier, the Police unit attached to the Commission recorded a nearly ten-hour long statement from the former President on August 26.
Meanwhile, testifying before the Commission last Friday, former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando said that former President Sirisena had strictly advised not to attend the meeting which held by former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe after the Easter Sunday terror attack.
Fernando said that on the day of the coordinated terror attack occurred, the former Prime Minister had scheduled an immediate meeting with every political and security heads in the country.
“One hour earlier before the following meeting with the Prime Minister, I got a call from then Secretary to the President Udaya R. Seneviratne. He said the former President had instructed both of us to not attend the Prime Minister’s meeting,” he said. He added that after receiving Seneviratne’s call, the former President also contacted him and said not to attend the Prime Minister’s meeting under any circumstances.
Fernando said that the country was in an anarchic situation at that time and when former President gave such instructions not to attend the Prime Minister’s discussion, he felt so desperate.