Ex-SIS Chief defends his decision to record conversations with his superiors

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Given that some of his superiors had tried to shift the blame on Easter Sunday attacks to the SIS, he saw nothing unethical about recording conversations he had with his superiors after the tragedy to protect the reputation of his  institution,  former SIS Director SDIG Nilantha Jayawardena yesterday told the PCoI probing Easter Sunday attacks.

Jayawardena made this statement when Shamil Perera, the counsel appearing for Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith asked him whether it was ethical for Jayawardena to record phone calls without informing the person at the other end.

“You have repeatedly told the PCoI that you are an officer and gentleman. How ethical was it for you to record calls without telling the other party?”

SDIG Jayawardena said that everyone had worked together as one before the Easter Sunday attacks. However, that had changed after the attacks and a number of persons tried to shift the blame to the SIS, Jayawardena said.

“I didn’t betray anyone. But there were many attempts to undermine the SIS. I recorded the conversations that I had with senior officials after the attack, to protect the dignity of the SIS.”

Jayawardena added that there were no laws governing intelligence gathering. If he had told the person at the other end of the phone that he was recording the call, they would not have spoken truthfully.

“There is a hierarchy and I conveyed to my superiors the information that I had received from a foreign source about a possible terrorist attack. This was actionable information. I am the informant to the state, I can’t arrest people. I can only inform. Now, everyone is saying that I should have done everything, from summoning the National Security Council to informing the former president,” Jayawardena said.