SIS officer arrested soon after allegation made in court

Ranjan Senaratne Bandara, Officer-in-Charge of the ‘Q’ Division of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), has been arrested in connection with the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, on Tuesday (15), sought a travel ban from the Fort Magistrate Court on the officer who had been responsible for handling the extremist desk.

When the matter was taken up, the prosecution was represented by ASG Peiris and DIG Shani Abeysekera The Defence team was led by President’s Counsel Shavindra Fernando.

The prosecution’s submissions centred principally on two matters, specifically hospitalisation of Major General Suresh Sallay and allegations regarding the Easter Sunday attacks.

The ASG criticised the Director of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) for failing to submit within the stipulated time the medical report ordered by court. He requested that the Director be directed to appear before Court on the next date, together with the relevant medical report.

The ASG further alleged that certain doctors, including the Director of the NHSL, were conspiring to facilitate the continued hospitalisation of the suspect. He submitted that Major General Sallay was receiving food from home, having daily visits from family members and weekly visits from his lawyers, and effectively enjoying a “vacation” while in hospital. It was further argued that his continued hospitalisation was hampering the ongoing investigations.

The ASG also submitted that the hospitalisation had resulted from the suspect’s decision to fast, and that his subsequent cardiac condition had arisen as a consequence of that fasting. This assertion is factually incorrect, as the implantation of the ICD was entirely unrelated to his fasting and was necessitated by his underlying cardiac condition.

The Defence strongly objected to the suggestion that the Defence team had conspired with the Director and medical personnel to facilitate the suspect’s continued stay in hospital. The Defence also made it clear that it had no objection, whatsoever, to the medical report being submitted to Court in a timely manner.

Regarding the allegations concerning the Easter Sunday attacks, the ASG, thereafter, made a number of allegations concerning members of the Army, the Military Directorate, the Commanding Officer of 1 MIC, in Vavuniya, and personnel attached to the State Intelligence Service (SIS), alleging that they were connected to the conspiracy surrounding the Easter Sunday bombings. The ASG alleged that a section with the Military Intelligence had protected Zahran Hashim, who led the Easter Sunday suicide attacks.

The ASG also sought a court order imposing a travel ban on an SIS officer who had been responsible for handling the extremist desk. He further characterised these individuals as “henchmen” of Major General Suresh Sallay and sought to establish a connection between them and retired Maj. Gen. Sallay.

In reply, the Defence submitted that there was no reason to waste the Court’s valuable time by responding at length to what were, at this stage, merely unsubstantiated theories advanced by the CID and the prosecution.

The Defence emphatically stated that there was absolutely no evidence demonstrating that any of these individuals had any connection, whatsoever, with my client at the time of the incidents in question. It was submitted that these allegations appeared to be nothing more than speculative assertions intended to create a particular narrative and generate media publicity, rather than allegations supported by substantive evidence.

The Defence maintained that any allegation of a connection between Sallay and the individuals referred to by the prosecution must be established through credible and admissible evidence, rather than conjecture,a or unsubstantiated assertions.