Verdict on Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando to be Delivered on July 31

17-Jun-2026

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The Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar has announced that the judgment in the case filed by the Attorney General against former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, who has been charged over failure to take preventive action despite prior intelligence warnings related to the Easter Sunday terror attacks, will be delivered on July 31.

The case was taken up yesterday before the three-judge bench comprising High Court Judges Priyantha Liyanage, Viraj Weerasooriya, and Tilak Ratnaratne.

President’s Counsel Chaminda Athukorala, appearing for the accused, argued that the information received regarding a possible attack was not confirmed intelligence, as stated to the accused in the dock by former Director of State Intelligence Nilantha Jayawardena. He further noted that this position was also reflected in the initial testimony given by Jayawardena.

Counsel also submitted that the accused had instructed Sisira Mendis to inform relevant parties of the intelligence. Although 755 charges were initially listed in the case, only the charge of aiding and abetting has been pursued against the accused. He further stressed that no murder charges have been filed and that the accused had no link whatsoever with the perpetrators of the attacks.