President Maithripala Sirisena, at a meeting with newspaper editors and media heads this morning, swore off knowledge of the allegations against former Army General Jagath Jayasuriya, saying he had only come to know of it in the newspapers.

Responding to a question raised by a journalist, the President said, “No one informed us. I saw the story in the newspaper.”

Human rights groups in South America have filed war crimes lawsuits against the former General who is now Ambassador to Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Suriname.

They allege he oversaw military units that attacked hospitals and killed, disappeared and tortured thousands of people in the final phase of Sri Lanka's civil war in 2009.