PCol summons AG’s Coordinating Officer Nishara Jayaratne

Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) probing the Easter Sunday attacks today issued summons on Attorney General's Coordinating Officer- State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne to appear before the Commission.

Accordingly, the Commissioner directed the PCoI's Secretary to send notice to State Counsel Jayaratne to appear and provide a statement to the PCoI Police Unit today and to provide evidence to the Commission on Thursday (17).

The order was made by the Commissioner after considering a request made by Shavindra Fernando PC who appeared for Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Azard Navavi.
Earlier, the evidence had been led before the Commission stating that in 2018, the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) had submitted a file seeking advice on banning the National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) Website and social media account of a person named Zahran Hashim.

Testifying before the Commission, DSG Azard Navavi and his junior State Counsel Malik Aziz informed the Commission that the TID had failed to provide the most vital documents in the file and as a result, the AG's Department was unable provide proper legal advice.

Adducing evidence, State Counsel Malik Aziz said that the TID had provided documents to the file on two occasions in 2017 and 2018 but none of those documents included about the two arrest warrants obtained by the TID on Zahran Hashim and the statements recorded by Zahran's mother and his wife.

c mentioning that the file submitted by the TID in 2017 did not include sufficient information to provide legal advice.

PC Fernando informed the Commission that AG's Coordinating Secretary Nishara Jayaratne had issued a press statement regarding the above mentioned letter and according that, it was clear that all the officials at the AG's Department had performed their duties.

He requested the Commission to issue summons on State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne to clarify the above statement.( Blurb) Testifying before the Commission, DSG Azard Navavi and his junior State Counsel Malik Aziz informed the Commission that the TID had failed to provide the most vital documents in the file and as a result, the AG's Department was unable provide proper legal advice.(Yoshitha Perera)