Former AG gives TID a miss 

• Sends lawyer in his place along with a 7-page document containing legal objections to being summoned 
• Suggests TID obtains a statement from current Attorney General instead 
• Attorney representing ex-AG also denies claims that latter did not take necessary steps about investigations during his tenure

Former Attorney General Dappula de Livera was a no-show at the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) yesterday. 

de Livera was notified to present himself at the TID at 9 a.m. on the day to provide a statement on certain comments he made in May 2021 about the Easter Sunday attack. However, de Livera did not appear before the TID and was instead represented by Attorney at Law Dimitri Abeysekara who presented facts on behalf of the former Attorney General. 



Speaking to the media outside the TID, Abeysekara said de Livera submitted a seven-page document containing legal objections to being summoned and has proposed the TID obtain the statement from Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam instead. “We have suggested that the TID obtains a statement from the current Attorney General who has filed indictments including for charges of conspiracy,” he added.

Abeysekara also denied claims that de Livera had not taken necessary steps regarding the Easter Sunday attack investigations. “There have been media reports claiming the former Attorney General did nothing in this regard. At the time he had submitted a 130-page communique containing instructions to the IGP regarding this. It should be looked into if the IGP and other officials have adhered to these instructions.” Abeysekara said. 

In May 2021, former Attorney General Dappula de Livera was quoted as saying there is a grand conspiracy behind the 2019 Easter attacks. At the time de Livera noted that the information by the State Intelligence Service with times, targets, places, methods of attacks and other information is clear evidence there was a grand conspiracy in place. de Livera was summoned to the TID after Justice, Prison Affairs, and Constitutional Reforms Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe informed the current Attorney General to instruct the police to obtain a statement from de Livera on the comments as the Minister claimed it has given rise to a certain degree of scepticism surrounding the investigations.