Police bust plot to assassinate Prez: Dayasiri

SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara said yesterday police intelligence has busted a plot to assassinate President Maithripala Sirisena by convicted drug kingpins now on death row.

“The law enforcement authorities have launched an inquiry into the alleged attempt to assassinate the President,” he said.

The MP told the weekly news briefing that the Easter Sunday attacks, the Parliamentary Select Committee and the dozens of fundamental rights petitions filed in the Supreme Court by various individuals and NGOs were a part of the conspiracy.

“Influential and powerful people are not happy about the President’s war against drugs, tobacco and alcohol. Raids are carried out countrywide and hundreds of law breakers and tonnes of drugs and narcotics have been seized under the direct intervention of the President. The Easter Sunday bomb attack was aimed at weakening or stopping President Sirisena from his war against drugs, narcotics, tobacco and alcohol,” the MP claimed.

He said the main objective of the PSC was to blame the President.

The MP said he was unhappy over the stay order on the death penalty issued by the Supreme Court until October 30 added that it was a ruling against the Supreme Court’s own ruling.

"These convicted drug kingpins have been condemned to death by the High Court and reaffirmed by the Court of Appeal and finally by the Supreme Court," he said. "The legal community, the academia, social organizations, rights campaigners and clergy must initiate a dialogue on the rationale of filing FR petitions against a ruling given by the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court."

The MP said the President was determined to implement the death penalty on convicted drug barons who are on the death row if and when the SC gives its ruling on October 30. (Sandun A Jayasekera)

Video by Susantha