Geneva (21/11) Following the publication of a report by the presidential committee, which dismissed the Channel 4 documentary on the Easter Sunday attacks, Azad Maulana – who has been in regular contact with Ravi Seneviratne and Shane Abeysekara via the Signal app – has confirmed that he will cooperate with an investigation led by them. Maulana also revealed that Nishantha Silva Kandappa, a former officer in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), a refuge in Switzerland, has been in regular contact with him. He further disclosed that he did not respond to the presidential committee’s inquiry due to the influence of these individuals.
Azad Maulana, who previously served as Pillayan’s media spokesperson, fled the country and sought political asylum after making controversial allegations. He claimed that Pillayan, in collaboration with the country’s intelligence services, had orchestrated the Easter Sunday attacks. However, despite these serious accusations aired in a Channel 4 broadcast, Maulana failed to present any concrete evidence. The program featured several individuals, including the Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, a retired CID officer who appeared in disguise, and Sarath Kongahage, a former diplomat. Kongahage later revealed that he had been misled and manipulated by a journalist involved in the production. Channel 4 distanced itself from the claims, publicly acknowledging it lacked sufficient evidence to support the allegations made in the program.
Sources suggest that the broadcast was not entirely the work of Channel 4 journalists. The content and direction of the program were reportedly influenced by external parties. This operation was allegedly orchestrated by Cardinal Ranjith, Father Cyril Gamini, Father Rohan Fernando, Ravi Seneviratne, Shani Abeysekara, and Nishantha Silva Kandappa, in collaboration with Azad Maulana. The conspiracy began when Maulana reached out to the Catholic Church, through an intermediary, with a startling claim: he knew that Suresh Sally, the Director of Army Intelligence who later became the Director General of the State Intelligence Service, was responsible for the Easter attacks and was willing to expose him. In exchange for his cooperation, Maulana requested asylum for himself and his driver in a European country, specifically France.
Cardinal Ranjith facilitated Maulana’s asylum request and pledged to assist in getting his driver abroad— but only after the Channel 4 program aired. Following the broadcast, Maulana’s driver was successfully granted asylum in Switzerland. Maulana has continued his communication with Shani Abeysekera and Ravi Seneviratne, a relationship facilitated by Cardinal Ranjith and Father Cyril Gamini Piyaman. In May of this year, Hariharan Manoharan, who held national ID 870982712V and was Maulana’s driver, left the country and is now in Europe processing his asylum claim.
Upon the rejection of the Channel 4 allegations by the Presidential Committee, Seneviratne and Abeysekera immediately reached out to Maulana, instructing him to fabricate evidence implicating members of the intelligence services. As a result, a hastily prepared press release was issued two days ago, announcing that an investigation into the Channel 4 report would be re-launched. Coincidentally, the editorial section of the Gnanartha Pradeepa newspaper, run by Father Cyril Gamini, published an article the day before the press release, offering its support for the new investigation.
These events appear to be interconnected, suggesting a deliberate and coordinated campaign. Pillayan was summoned to the CID for questioning and may be arrested as part of the investigation. There are also reports that preparations are underway to manipulate the entire incident in order to cover up the truth.