Former state minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pilleyan has arrived at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) once again this morning (22) to provide a statement.
Statements are being recorded from him in connection with investigations related to the controversial documentary aired by the British television network Channel 4 concerning the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka.
Pilleyan previously appeared before the CID on November 20, where he had stated his preference to provide the statement in Tamil. He was subsequently instructed to return today after arrangements were made for language translation.
On 06 September 2023, Channel 4 aired a controversial documentary containing startling accusations relating to the bombings on Easter Sunday (April 21) in 2019 which targeted several Catholic churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka. The carnage claimed the lives of more than 260 people and left hundreds of others wounded.
Channel 4’s new ‘Dispatches’ investigation titled ‘Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings’ is a nearly 50-minute-long videos with serious, yet straightforward allegations about the attacks. It was based on the testimonies of high-placed whistleblowers who alleged that senior governmental officials were complicit in this heinous act.
The main whistleblower Hanzeer Azad Maulana was a spokesman for LTTE’s breakaway group Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP) led by former MP Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan.
During a press conference on November 11, Police Media Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa said that the CID has launched a probe into the relevant incident as per a complaint lodged by an organization with the Ministry of Public Security against the statement made by Azad Maulana to Channel 4 on the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks.
As part of the investigation, the former Chief Minister of the Eastern Province was summoned by the CID on November 12 to provide a statement regarding the allegations in the documentary.
However, Pilleyan did not arrive at the CID on the scheduled date instead requested a new date to provide his statement through his attorneys.
He was then informed to appear at the CID on November 20 and Pilleyan had arrived at the CID at around 9.30 a.m. He had left after around 5 hours after recording his statement, Ada Derana reporter said.