Cardinal publicly rejects De Alwis and Imam committee reports on Easter Sunday terror attack 

 Rev. Fr. Jude Krishantha, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando at press briefing in Colombo yesterday – Pic by Ruwan Walpola

• Says two reports were not based on a thorough analysis of incident nor conducted through transparent investigation process
• Opines setting up of two committees by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and their hurried reports were mere eyewash prior to 2014 Presidential Election
• Stresses Catholic Church has no interest in either report as they lack a fair and transparent inquiry
• Confirms it however accepts the PCoI report on the attacks as legitimate despite the many information gaps 
• Emphasises that a proper investigation must look into factors that drove attackers to extremism, politicians and officials who had prior warnings but failed to act, and sources of funding and training for the attackers

Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, has strongly rejected the two reports on the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, which were compiled by committees led separately by retired Judges A.N.J. De Alwis and Syed Ishrat Imam, following their appointment by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Cardinal Ranjith criticised the reports, stating that they were not based on a thorough analysis of the incident nor conducted through a transparent investigation process. “It was an investigation done in haste, just before the election, simply to create the impression that an inquiry had been carried out,” he said.

The Archbishop made these remarks during a special press conference held in Colombo, in response to former MP Udaya Gammanpila’s decision to release the two reports to the public and the related allegations.

He further claimed that the hurried completion of the reports before the election could be seen as an attempt to mislead the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, with which former President Wickremesinghe had held discussions prior to appointing the two committees.

Responding to former MP Udaya Gammanpila’s claim that he will release yet another report next week, Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith said the Catholic Church is not interested in any of these reports, as none of the committees had conducted a fair inquiry.

When asked if the Church accepts any reports on the Easter Sunday tragedy compiled so far, the Archbishop confirmed that they recognize the report by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the attacks. He explained that the PCoI report, which followed over a year of investigations, is considered legitimate, even though the Church was only granted access to the recommendations, as other sections were classified as state secrets.

He noted that the PCoI report identified those who failed to prevent the attacks despite having the opportunity to do so. “There are still information gaps in that report, but the Commission explained that they did not have enough time to delve into all aspects,” the Archbishop added.

In response to questions, the Archbishop outlined that a proper investigation into the Easter Sunday attacks must address three key areas: the factors that drove the attackers to extremism, the politicians and officials who had prior warnings but failed to act, and the sources of funding and training for the attackers. “Only by investigating these three elements can we say that a thorough inquiry has been conducted,” he emphasised. Cardinal Ranjith clarified that the Catholic Church has not engaged in discussions about justice for the Easter Sunday attacks with either Senior DIG Ravi Seneviratne or SSP Shani Abeysekara who Gammanpila is now accusing of failing to prevent the 2019 terrorist attack. The Archbishop said instead, their communication has been directly with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. “The President has assured us that he will initiate an independent and transparent investigation into the matter. We have no say over who he appoints for the task, that is not relevant to us,” he said.

The Archbishop also mentioned that the Church has not yet been officially informed about any developments but hopes to receive updates soon. “We are asking for a genuine investigation, not one that misleads us, to uncover who was behind the attacks. We made similar requests to both Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremesinghe. We identified and communicated areas of concern to them, but these are the responses we’ve been receiving,” he said in response to the two committee reports.