The Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar has convicted 15 accused in the long-running case over the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks, with one defendant receiving 260 years of rigorous imprisonment.
The three-member bench, comprising High Court Judges Navaratne Marasinghe, Ramanathan Kannan and Sujeewa Nissanka, delivered the final judgment yesterday (22).
The court found that the prosecution had established beyond reasonable doubt the charges against the 15 accused, including allegations relating to conspiracy, providing assistance and support, and conducting extremist lectures.
Five of the convicted accused were sentenced to 200 years of rigorous imprisonment each, while another five received 220 years each. Four others were sentenced to 240 years each.
Abdul Manaf Mohamed Firdous received the longest individual sentence, with the court imposing 260 years of rigorous imprisonment.
Those sentenced to 200 years each were Mohamed Anwar Mohamed Rizkan, Mohamed Mansoor Mohamed Samsudeen, Huseinul Rizvi Khalid Sameer, Mohamed Hanifa Zainul Abdeen and Kachchi Mohamed Mohamed Jemsith.
Naufar Moulavi, identified in the case as an ideological mentor of Zahran Hashim and a subsequent leader of the extremist group, was among those sentenced to 220 years. Mohamed Ramish Mohamed Sajith, Abdul Latheef Mohamed Safi, Mohamed Mustafa Mohamed Haris and Rasiq Raza Hussein also received 220-year sentences.
Mohamed Saribu Adam Lebbe alias Gafoor Mama, Hayathu Mohamed Ahmed Milhan, Mohamed Ibrahim Sadiq Abdullah and Mohamed Ibrahim Zahid Abdul Haq were each sentenced to 240 years.
In addition to the prison terms, the court ordered the confiscation of all movable and immovable property belonging to the 15 convicted accused, effective from the time the judgment was delivered.
The case was instituted in 2019 against 25 individuals, including Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Naufar alias Naufar Moulavi, over offences connected to the Easter Sunday attacks.
More than 23,270 charges had been filed against the accused, relating to alleged conspiracy, assistance and other activities connected to the attacks, which targeted three Catholic churches and three major hotels in Colombo, along with other locations.
During the lengthy trial, 2,309 prosecution witnesses gave evidence, with the recording of evidence concluding on August 24.
Delivering the judgment, the presiding judge said the three-member bench had reached its decision unanimously after carefully considering the evidence presented during the proceedings.
The court, however, acquitted and ordered the release of nine other accused after determining that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against them beyond reasonable doubt.
Following the sentencing proceedings, the 15 convicted accused were taken into the custody of prison officials and transported to Welikada Prison at around 2.30 a.m. today.
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