By Rathindra Kuruwita

Former President Maithripala Sirisena had interfered with transferring of senior police officers from 2018 although an independent Police Commission was established, through the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, former IGP Pujith Jayasundara yesterday informed Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) investigating the Easter Sunday attacks.

Jayasundara said that towards the latter part of the previous government, there had been confusion in many spheres, and that had prevented them from taking key decisions on national security.

The ex-IGP said that he had been asked not to attend the National Security Council (NSC) meetings in October 2018 and that led to serious issues.

“I was aware that an NSC meeting was to be held on October 23, 2018. Usually, I was informed of such events or on the same morning. I didn’t get a call and I called former Defence Secretary Kapila Waidyaratne to ask whether there was an NSC meeting scheduled for that day. He said President Sirisena had asked him not to invite me. That was very upsetting,”

Jayasundara said he had been invited to the NSC meeting on November 03, 2018 and on that day Sirisena had asked him to transfer former CID Inspector Nishantha Silva because he was handling a case against then Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Ravindra Wijegunaratne and some Army officers.

President Sirisena had asked him to transfer Silva from the CID, but realising that it would lead to an uproar, he had attempted to dissuade Sirisena. He said he had informed Sirisena that former IP Nishantha Silva had faced no prior disciplinary action.

“The President agreed but he didn’t change his mind. Then, he left the country and a few days later former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando called me and said that President Sirisena wanted me remove former IP Nishantha Silva immediately. I then transferred Silva to the Negombo Police station. I also submitted a report to the Police Commission informing that the decision had been at an NSC meeting.”

Jayasundara said Sirisena had asked him after returning from overseas who had ordered the transfer of IP Silva to the Negombo police station. He said he had told the President: “Sir, it was you who instructed me. He got very annoyed and said he had never such an order and disconnected the line.”

The Commissioners asked Jayasundara whether his absence from the NSC had had any impact on national security. Jayasundara said he had not been informed of what transpired at the NSC and that the fact that another senior officer of the Police was invited to the NSC had upset him.

Jayasundara said that the conflict between President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had become a serious concern and that when both of them gave contradictory orders, he had chosen to follow presidential directives.