Ex-SIS Head Nilantha Jayawardena hit with contempt charges for failing to pay Easter Sunday compensation

Ex-SIS Head Nilantha Jayawardena

The Attorney General informed the Supreme Court yesterday that contempt of court charges have been filed against Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena, the former head of the State Intelligence Service. The charges relate to his failure to fully pay the Rs. 75 million in compensation ordered in connection with fundamental rights petitions filed over the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks.

A seven-member Supreme Court bench, led by the Chief Justice, issued a notice for Jayawardena to appear before the court on 7 October at 9.30 a.m. The compensation was mandated as part of the court’s ruling on the intelligence failures that contributed to the deadly attacks, which killed over 250 people.

The court had previously ordered several top officials, including former President Maithripala Sirisena, to pay compensation to the attack victims. While all other officials, including Sirisena, former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, former Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara, and former National Intelligence Service Chief Sisira Mendis, have completed their payments, Jayawardena has yet to fulfil his obligation.

In its ruling on 12 January 2023, the Supreme Court determined that the respondents in the fundamental rights petitions had violated the rights of the petitioners by failing to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks, despite having credible intelligence of an imminent threat.

The court ordered Sirisena to pay Rs. 100 million in compensation, while Jayasundara and Jayawardena were each ordered to pay Rs. 75 million. Fernando was instructed to pay Rs. 50 million, and Mendis Rs. 10 million. These funds were designated to compensate the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.