Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywadena has addressed recent concerns pertaining to disclosing to the public certain details included in the report presented by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) on the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019.
Making a special statement in Parliament in this regard on this morning (21), the Speaker informed the House that certain information and documents included in the PCoI report, such as confidential witness statements, cannot be disclosed to the public, as per the directive of the Secretary to the President.
Accordingly, Abeywardena revealed that as per the communications he had received from the Secretary to the President on 03 and 14 March 2022, it was emphasised that the aforementioned details cannot be made available to the public on account of safeguarding the relevant witnesses’ anonymity, and should only be used for the reference of the MPs, under the supervision of the Secretary General of Parliament.
“I would also like to inform the House that this was reiterated to me in a letter dated 12 September 2023”, Abeywardena further said, in a bid to explain the ‘actuality’ of the matter.
(adaderana.lk)
