Catholic Church calls for independent probe following Sallay’s arrest

No political party or others should make Sallay’s probe and arrest a political drama 

By Yohan Perera 

Former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Chief Major General (Retd) Suresh Sallay is only a suspect and not proven to be a criminal; therefore, no one should panic about his arrest, while an independent probe into him is essential, the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka said yesterday.   

“It is the judiciary which will decide whether Sallay is guilty or not, and therefore allowing an independent probe is essential, Spokesman for Archdiocese of Colombo Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando told a media briefing.   

“No political party or others should make Sallay’s probe and arrest a political drama. Making Sallay’s arrest a political drama is a great injustice to Easter Sunday bomb victims,” he added.   

Expressing concern on various posts on social media with regard to the arrest of Sallay, Fr. Fernando said politicians and others should refrain from uploading those posts. “Mainstream media should also report on the Easter Sunday probe in a neutral manner. Double checking which is a cardinal rule in journalism, should be followed,” he said.   

At the same time, he said there may be some groups which are worried and disturbed about the outcome of probes carried out on Sallay.   

“We believe that the probe on Easter Sunday attacks is moving on gradually and that the investigations that are being carried out now will determine whether there were any groups which used Zahran and the group to fulfil their interests. Justice is delayed, but we are confident that Sallay’s arrest will lead to something,” Fr. Fernando also said.