Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa cannot deny what he told me during the telephone conversation he had with me in 2021, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said today.
Cardinal was referring to the statement of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa where he denies telling the former that recormendations made by the Presidential Commission cannot be implemented as he will have to take action against people and associations which were close to him.
“Both I and my secretary can confirm and prove that the fomer President talked to me over the phone on Febuary 2 2021. Rajapaksa has said recently that the Presidential Commission which probed the Easter Sunday bomb attacks has only recormended banning Islamic extrmist organizations. However, the report has clearly recommended banning a non-Islamic organization as well. The former President cannot deny these facts,” the Cardinal said in a statement.
He accused former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa of transferring intelligence officers who were probing the Easter Sunday attacks. Also, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has accused the present government for failing to implement recormendations made by the Presidential Commission. The Cardinal questioned as to why action has not been taken against former President Maithripala Sirisena though the Commission has recormended action against him.
“The present government also continues to push everything which is connected to the Easter Sunday bomb attacks under the carpet,” he added.