DIG Nilantha Jayawardene as Administrative Head of Police Headquarters Catholic Church raises concern over appointment

By Yohan Perera

The Catholic Church yesterday disputed the recent appointment of Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardene as the Administrative Head of Police Headquarters and queried whether he is to be appointed the Inspector General of Police (IGP).  Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando raised these questions on behalf of Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith.   

“Senior DIG Jayawardene has been named as one of the key persons responsible for the failure to prevent Easter Sunday attacks in 2019 by the Presidenti al Commission which probed the attacks. It has been revealed by the Presidential Commission that DIG Jayawardene had prior information on the impending attacks. He had also accepted that he deleted messages from his mobile phone while testifying before the commission. He was initially one of the accused for the failure to prevent the tragedy. However he was made a government witness later. Giving promotions to such a person is questionable,” Fr Fernando said. 

 
“One wonders whether all the developments pertaining to DIG Jayawardene would lead to a total cover up with regard to the Easter Sunday attacks,” he added.   

He said the government should state whether DIG Jayawardene is going to be appointed as the next IGP.   
“I was asked to come up with these views by Cardinal Ranjith on behalf of him. The Cardinal will make a public statement on the Easter Sunday attacks after the verdict of the petition filed on Easter Sunday is delivered on January 12, 2023.   

• “One wonders whether all the developments pertaining to DIG Jayawardene would lead to a total cover up with regard to the Easter Sunday attacks,” pointed out Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando