The Supreme Court has mandated former President Maithripala Sirisena to pay the remaining compensation to the victims of the Easter attacks by August 30.
Earlier on Monday (15), Sirisena informed the Supreme Court that out of the Rs. 100 million ordered as compensation for the victims, Rs. 58 million has already been paid. He also requested six years to pay the remaining amount.
On January 12, 2023, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court ordered the government to pay Rs. 1 million per person to those killed in the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. The court ruled that the respondents named in the Fundamental Rights petitions, for failing to prevent the attacks despite credible information of an imminent threat, had violated the Fundamental Rights of the petitioners.
The respondents named in the petitions include Former President Maithripala Sirisena, Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, Former Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara, Former National Intelligence Service Chief Sisira Mendis, and Former State Intelligence Services Chief Nilantha Jayawardena.
The court ordered Former President Sirisena to pay Rs. 100 million, Former Police Chief Jayasundara and Former State Intelligence Services Chief Jayawardena to pay Rs. 75 million each, Former Defence Secretary Fernando to pay Rs. 50 million, and Former National Intelligence Service Chief Mendis to pay Rs. 10 million.
All these funds are to be collected and used to compensate the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.
Source: News first
