Colombo: Sri Lankan Court on Monday began the first trial of three connected with the bombing that killed nearly 270 people on the island in 2019, in the midst of attractive to greater accountability of the victim support group.
In this trial, the former National Police Chief of Pujit Jayasundara was assigned to fail acting on repeated intelligence warnings of the possibility of a terror attack.
A total of 855 charges of murder and attempted murder were read when Jayasundara stood on the dock behind the courtroom.
1,215 witnesses have been registered to provide evidence but not all are called, the lawyer said.
“Our position is a former police chief innocent.
He accidentally helped or conspired with the attack and there was no negligence in his part which caused the attack,” said lawyer Ranjith Dehiwala told Reuters.
Former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, the top official in the Ministry of Defense at the time, faced similar charges in the experiment starting on Monday.
Both him or his lawyer cannot be contacted for comments.
The two men came out with a guarantee.
The 24 trial was accused of carrying out an attack starting on Tuesday.
The police submitted more than 23,000 charges against the suspects, including conspiring to kill, help and conspire with attacks, and collect weapons and ammunition.
The group also includes Mohammad Naufer, the official said the mastermind of the attack was associated with an Islamic state.
String attacks were held on April 21, 2019, Easter Sunday, targeting three churches and three hotels, killing 267 people, including at least 45 foreign nationals.
The attack, the worst in the sigh history of Sri Lanka, also injured around 500 people, mostly belonging to the Christian minority community on the island.
On Sunday, dozens of members of the Catholic community held protests and lay flowers at various events held to remember those who were lost in the attack.
Participants begged the government to support the survivors and ensure the trial was allowed to continue without political intervention.
“We want the original justice of this process.
That is what we compare for officials to give.
We have waited a long time and we want real responsible people responsible for what happens,” said Eranga Gunasera, a member of the victim support group, during The remembrance ceremony held in Colombo.