A lawyer who sustained injuries following the Easter Sunday suicide bomb blast that took place at Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo today filed a lawsuit in Colombo District Court claiming Rs.500 million as damages from former President Maithreepala Sirisena, former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe and ten other officials.
Moditha Bandara, a lawyer by profession filed this lawsuit naming former President Mithreepala Sirisena, former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, former DefenceMinistry Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, former IGP Pujith Jayasundara, former Chief of State Intelligence Service Nilantha Jayawardhane, former Director of Special Security PriyalalDasanayake, former State Minister of DefenceRuwan 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 KapilaJayampathy as defendants.
Meanwhile, Attorney-at-law Moditha Bandarafiled another lawsuit against Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo claiming Rs.300 million as damages for its failure to prevent the terrorist attack by taking necessary security arrangements.
Apart from that, the victim also filed another lawsuit claiming Rs.400 million as damages from the Ibrahim family of Dematagoda in which two sons of Mohammed Yusuf Ibrahim have been identified as suicide bombers.
The victim stated that the authorities have received information that Zahran Hasheem of NTJ and his associates are planning to launch a suicide terror attack in Sri Lanka and they are targeting some important churches and the Indian High Commission. It is further stated that the terrorists may adopt any of the following modes of attack; Suicide attack, Weapon attack, a Knife attack and Truck attack”
It is clear that all the officials responsible for the security had been alerted and had been informed regarding imminent bomb attacks and you all did not take any step to prevent such attacks and not even warned the general public and the relevant authorities including Catholic religious leaders and leading hotels,” the victim said.
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 Table One of the restaurant at Level 3 of the Hotel to have his breakfast.
He had then finished his breakfast and while waiting for the waiter to return with the balance money. The first bomb had exploded at approximately 8:10 am. The victim said that he 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 petitioner had been thrown about 15 feet away. He further stated that a hotel taxi driver had then taken the petitioner 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.
