A lawyer who sustained injuries following the Easter Sunday suicide bomb attack at the Hotel Shangri-La has sent a letter of demand to the former President, former Prime Minister and ten other officials requesting them to jointly pay him a sum of Rs.500 million as damages.
Moditha Bandara, a lawyer by profession, sent this letter of demand through his lawyer Sujeewa Gunathilaka. The victim states that he sustained injuries after the second bomb exploded by a suicide bomber near the “Table one” restaurant of the Hotel Shangri-La.
The letters of demand have been sent to, former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, former Defence Ministry Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, former IGP Pujith Jayasundara, former Chief of State Intelligence Service Nilantha Jayawardhane, former Director of Special Security Priyalal Dasanayake, former State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardhane, former Chief of Defense Staff Admiral Ravindra Wijegunarathne, former Army Commander Lt. General Mahesh Senanayake, former Navy Commander Vice Admiral Priyal De Silva and former Air Force Commander Air Vice Marshal Mahesh Kapila Jayampathy urging them to pay the damages within 14 days.
He has warned that legal action will be instituted if the money is not paid during this period.
The victim stated that the authorities have received information that Zahran Hasheem of NTJ and his associates were planning to launch a suicide terror attack in Sri Lanka and they were targeting some important churches and the Indian High Commission. Further, he stated that the terrorists may adopt any of the following modes of attack; Suicide attack, Weapon attack, a Knife attack and or a Truck attack.
“It is clear that all the officials responsible for the security had been alerted and informed regarding imminent bomb attacks but failed to take any steps to prevent such attacks and not even warned the general public and the relevant authorities including Catholic religious leaders and leading hotels,” the letter of demand stated.
The victim said the former President and eleven others have failed to perform their official duties entrusted to prevent the terrorist attacks that took place on May 21, 2019, which caused damages to him.
The victim stated that on April 21, he had gone to Shangri-La Hotel to collect a pen drive he had left at the Hotel Business Centre after a meeting he had with two of his clients at the hotel. The victim further stated that at around 8:10 am on April 21, 2019, he had collected the pen drive and headed towards the Table One restaurant at Level 3 of the Hotel to have breakfast.
After he had finished his breakfast and was waiting for the waiter to return with the balance money. The first bomb had exploded just then approximately at 8:10 am. but was not injured from the first bomb blast. He stated that he had then run towards the exit point of the restaurant and just as he reached the exit, the second bomb had exploded and the victim had been thrown about 15 feet away. He further stated that a hotel taxi driver had then taken him to the accident ward at the Colombo National Hospital. He further added that he was out of his legal practice for seven months.
The victim further stated that he sustained flame burn injuries to his head, face, both right and left arms and right thigh. He stated that his eyes were subject to scarring resulting in Corneal Ulceration
