Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini requests for a week to respond to CID on SIS Chief's complaint

COLOMBO (News 1st); Reverend Father Cyril Gamini Fernando has requested a week's time to respond to the Criminal Investigations Department with regard to comments made at a recent video conference on highlighting matters surrounding the 2019 April 21st Attacks.

Police Spokesperson Attorney at Law Nihal Thalduwa said that Reverend Father Cyril Gamini Fernando was requested to appear at the CID on Thursday (28).

However, Rev. Fr. Kumara Weliwita, who appeared on behalf of Reverend Father Cyril Gamini Fernando stated that they requested for about a week's time for him to provide a statement after obtaining the relevant advice from his lawyers.

Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigations Department on Wednesday (27) informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court that an investigation was launched an investigation on comments made during an online forum with regard to the 2019 April 21st Attacks.

The CID told Colombo Chief Magistrate Buddhika Sri Ragala that the investigation was launched following a complaint made by the Director of the State Intelligence Service Major General Suresh Salley, who claimed that the forum raised false allegations against him.

The Criminal Investigations Department informed the court that the progress of the investigations will be reported after recording statements from the complainant and all other connected parties.

The Director-General of the State Intelligence Service Major General Suresh Salley filed a complaint with the Criminal Investigations Department on Monday (25) against multiple malicious statements made in reference to him, with regard to the 2019 Easter Attacks, by Reverend Father Cyril Gamini Fernando and others.

The complaint noted that Reverend Father Cyril Gamini Fernando at an online forum on the 23rd of October 2021 on the Easter Attacks had stated that Sri Lanka’s Intelligence Units had provided financial and other forms of assistance to Zaharan Hashim, the Leader of the now-proscribed National Thowheed Jamath, who also led the attacks on the 21st of April 2019.

The complaint further notes that Reverend Father Cyril Gamini Fernando had described Suresh Salley, a Brigadier at the time, to have been actively involved in nurturing Zaharan Hashim and his followers.

Major General Suresh Salley had stressed that he vehemently rejects the allegations made against him by Reverend Father Cyril Gamini Fernando and others, also stressed that the allegations made to bring disrepute to him, are false.

The complaint noted that the objective of these allegations is not only to mislead the general public but to deliberately tarnish his reputation, as well as to put his life and the lives of his family in harm’s way.

The complaint filed by the CID notes that Suresh Salley had never communicated with Zaharan Hashim or his followers, under any circumstance.

Suresh Salley in his complaint requests for the Criminal Investigations Department to institute legal action against Reverend Father Cyril Gamini Fernando as well as the others who attended the online forum in question.