Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena ‘s sudden action of appointing a five-member Commission his second such commission to inquire into Easter Sunday Bomb attacks on April 21 after four months of the incident
This unorthodox move has raised many eye brows at a time where the country is in an election mood to go for presidential elections within couple of months.
Appointing the second Presidential commission will seriously undermine the credibility of President Sirisena and it will arouse suspicion of the people as to why he is in such haste to prove his innocence against charges of negligence and irresponsible acts in the whole episode, political analysts said.
Presidential commissions have now become joke in the eyses of peacelovong general public they added.
Despite on going Court Cases and investigations of law enforcement authorities including the CID and Parliamentary Select Committee into Easter Sunday terror attacks, the President has appointed his second commission for the same purpose for reasons better known to him, a veteran political analyst said.
These commissions have no legal authority to probe the criminal investigations, identify the perpetrators and take legal action against them.
On the other hand no court in Sri Lanka can act on reports of commissions to issue an order and sentence accused in criminal matter such as Easter terror attacks, legal experts claimed.
However the President was of the view that it is necessary that a Commission of Inquiry be appointed to investigate and inquire into and report or take necessary action on the matters enabling future legal actions, and report on the incidents.
Among other things, the Commission is tasked to hold prompt, impartial, complete investigations and inquiries regarding complaints, information and other materials on the attacks, and identify persons and organizations who are directly or indirectly connected to these terrorist acts.
Further the Commission is tasked to identify officers and all authorities responsible who failed to pre-determine that a terrorist and extremist activities and who failed or neglected to take action according to law and not taking proper actions in this regard.
The Commission is required to conduct the necessary criminal and forensic investigations and inquiries and the submit its first interim report to the President within three months and thereafter, subsequent interim reports once in two months, and the final Report within six months.
(LI)