By Rathindra Kuruwita

President Maithripala Sirisena, yesterday, informed the PCoI investigating the Easter Sunday attacks that he had banned former IGP Pujith Jayasundara from the National Security Council (NSC,) ignoring the provisions of a gazette making the IGP’s presence compulsory at the NSC, because Jayasundara had breached his trust.

Sirisena said so during the cross-examination by Anura Meddegoda, PC appearing on behalf of the former IGP. Meddegoda brought the former President’s attention to the Gazette notification establishing the NSC. It lists the permanent members of the NSC.

According to the Gazette notification, the NSC shall consist of Secretary to the President, Defence Secretary, Heads of the Tri Forces, Chief of Defence Staff, IGP and the Director of State Intelligence Service (SIS).

Anura Meddegoda PC: “Earlier you said that as the President you could bring officials you trust to attend NSC meetings. Does the gazette say the President can do so?”

Sirisena: “It is not mentioned in the gazette notification, but the President can replace officials depending on circumstances. Trust is extremely important when governing a country.”

Meddegoda asked Sirisena whether the gazette notification listed out those who should attend the NSC and whether Sirisena, whilst being President was above the law.

“I was not above the law and I have always acted according to the law,” Sirisena responded.

Meddegoda said that the Supreme Court had ruled the removal of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his Cabinet was unconstitutional.

The former President retorted that a leader had to consider things that were not written in law books when governing a country.

“So, you had worked beyond the country’s law?” Meddegoda asked.

“No, I worked according to the law,” Sirisena said.

Meddegoda questioned the former President’s decision not to conduct open inquiries on Islamic extremist activities.

The former President said that he had never taken such a decision and all the intelligence services including the SIS had to take the responsibility for not informing him of such threats posed by the Islamic extremists to the country.

Meddegoda asked, “As the President you always thought about the survival of the Yahapalana government, and you didn’t think about the country’s stability, did you?”

The former President said that the process of the yahapalana government collapsing had begun after the bond scams and he would have dissolved the Parliament at that time if he had been empowered to do so.