by Our Political Affairs Editor
Former Finance, Foreign and Justice Minister Ali Sabry has launched a strong defence of due process in the continuing debate over the Easter Sunday attacks, accusing the authorities of politicising investigations and questioning whether the current leadership of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) can conduct an impartial inquiry.
In an exclusive interview with Sri Lanka Guardian, Sabry said investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks must be driven by evidence and independent procedures rather than political interests.
He said the pursuit of justice should not become a process of targeting individuals based on allegations without sufficient proof, stressing that every person accused of wrongdoing must receive fair treatment under the law.
Addressing allegations involving Major General (Retired) Suresh Sallay, the former head of the State Intelligence Service, Sabry said the broader issue was not about one individual but about maintaining the principles of justice.
“No, I mean, it’s not about Suresh Sallay,” Sabry said.
While acknowledging that Sallay has both supporters and critics, Sabry argued that criticism cannot replace evidence and that no person should be subjected to unjust treatment.
“Suresh Sallay personally had done a lot of work for the country. No one in this country deserves that kind of treatment,” he said.
Sabry strongly criticised what he described as the misuse of legal powers, particularly referring to the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
“Number one is detaining him under the PTA, keeping him in custody and subjecting him to torture,” he said.
He also accused some actors of attempting to construct evidence rather than allowing investigations to be guided by facts.
“Number two is just concocting evidence when everything else is somewhere else,” Sabry said.
According to the former minister, the credibility of any investigation depends on whether it follows evidence rather than political expectations.
“There is no evidence at all,” he said.
Sabry argued that previous investigations and inquiries had not produced evidence supporting certain allegations and questioned why those findings were being disregarded.
“All the other commissions and everything else have gone in one direction, and this one man is saying the other way around. So everything else has been disregarded,” he said.
He referred to the scale of previous investigations, including the Janak De Silva Commission.
“Janak De Silva Commission interviewed more than 400 witnesses and had 214 days of sittings. Not an iota of evidence against anyone,” he said.
Sabry also pointed to international investigations conducted following the attacks.
“Investigations were immediately after this carried out by the FBI, Australian Federal Police and Scotland Yard,” he said, arguing that findings from such institutions should not be ignored.
However, his strongest criticism was directed at the CID leadership, where he alleged there was a serious conflict of interest.
Asked whether he stood by his earlier criticism of the CID leadership, Sabry said the issue was not personal but institutional.
“There is nothing to stand. There is no object,” he said.
He questioned whether a person who had previously moved from the police service into politics could later return to lead investigations involving political figures.
“That man went to Supreme Court and told that I am no longer in police service. I am a politician now. He came back as a politician to the CID. Never happened in Sri Lanka. Never,” Sabry said.
According to him, such circumstances could undermine public confidence in the investigative process.
“And he is doing a political job. He is going after people every day for personal vengeance. Pure personal vengeance,” he alleged.
Sabry also connected the Easter Sunday debate with a wider discussion on extremism and accountability within the Muslim community.
While rejecting collective blame against Muslims, he argued that the community must acknowledge the existence of extremist elements and address them honestly.
“Muslim community must understand one thing. They have found a refuge in this just to palm off the blame to someone else. You can’t do that,” he said.
He said acknowledging the actions of extremist individuals was necessary to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“Whether we like it or not, you must understand the eight fellows who went and blasted themselves were from our community,” Sabry said.
“There is a section who went astray and became extreme,” he added.
However, he rejected collective punishment and called for internal reform instead.
“So you need to have reforms within the community,” he said.
Sabry said confronting extremism should be based on honesty rather than political calculation.
“It is out of love that I stand for this because I see the future,” he said.
For Sabry, justice for the Easter Sunday victims requires a process based on evidence, independence and fairness. He warned that investigations lose public trust when they are perceived as being driven by political motives rather than the pursuit of truth.
