Former Sri Lankan president and accused war criminal Gotabaya Rajapaksa has filed a writ petition before the Court of Appeal seeking an order preventing his arrest under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in connection with investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
The petition was filed through Attorney-at-Law Sanath Wijewardena and names Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasuriya, Criminal Investigation Department Director Shani Abeysekara and CID officer Madhava Gunawardena among the respondents.
Local media reported that Rajapaksa is seeking judicial intervention amid ongoing investigations into the coordinated Easter Sunday attacks, which killed more than 260 people and injured hundreds more when churches and hotels across the island were targeted on 21 April 2019.
The legal move comes days after the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court imposed an overseas travel ban on Rajapaksa in relation to the same investigation, following a request by the CID.
Investigators are reportedly examining findings and recommendations contained in several reports on the Easter Sunday attacks, including questions over the role and responsibilities of senior officials before and after the bombings.
Rajapaksa has been accused of blocking investigations into the Easter Sunday bombings after coming to power in 2019.
In a Channel 4 documentary, whistleblower Hanzeer Azad Maulana alleged that the attacks were linked to a plot to create instability and help Rajapaksa secure the presidency. Former senior police investigator Ravi Seneviratne also stated that Rajapaksa’s government “prevented the investigation” once it came to power.
The allegations have been repeatedly denied by those implicated.
The Easter Sunday probe has gained renewed momentum following the arrest of former State Intelligence Service Director Major General (Retired) Suresh Sallay earlier this year.
Sallay was arrested by the CID in February in connection with the ongoing investigation into the bombings. His arrest followed allegations made in the Channel 4 documentary linking senior Sri Lankan officials and military intelligence figures to the attacks. Sallay has consistently denied involvement.
Prosecutors have previously alleged in court that Sallay was the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday bombings, an allegation he denies.
The case also brings renewed attention to the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which Rajapaksa is seeking protection from in this petition.
The PTA has for decades been used disproportionately against Tamils, enabling prolonged detention, coercive interrogation and the suppression of political expression in the Tamil homeland.