Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando has told court that he believes former President Maithripala Sirisena had prior knowledge of the intelligence warnings related to the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.
Fernando made the statement while testifying before a Trial-at-Bar hearing the case against him over alleged dereliction of duty in failing to prevent the attacks.
He claimed that Sirisena, who at the time also served as Defence Minister and Commander-in-Chief, was aware of the intelligence reports.
Fernando further alleged that former State Intelligence Service Chief Nilantha Jayawardena also had knowledge of the warnings and had taken steps to conceal the information.
Facing charges including criminal dereliction of duty, Fernando defended his position by stating that responsibility lay elsewhere.
He argued that as the head of the armed forces, the President had left the country during a critical period, and that he had been unfairly implicated despite presenting relevant intelligence.
Fernando added that if the information he provided had been properly examined, the case would not have been filed against him, and claimed that those truly responsible have yet to be held accountable.
