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State Minister of Defence Wijeyawardene not given vital intelligence tip-off
By Rathindra Kuruwita
State Intelligence Service (SIS) had not informed former State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene of the foreign intelligence warning, received on 09 April 2019, former SIS Director SDIG Nilantha Jayawardena told the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) investigating the Easter Sunday attacks on Monday.
SDIG Jayawardena said so during the cross-examination by Counsel Asanga Gunawardena, representing Wijewardene.
SDIG Jayawardena added that the former State Minister in 2016 had asked him for a report on ISIS and rising Islamic extremism in Sri Lanka.
“This was the only report former minister requested from the SIS,” Jayawardena said.
The witness also said that Wijewardene had not attended the National Security Council (NSC) meetings from October 2018 to April 2019.