Gotabhaya Breaks Silence on Channel 4 Documentary Controversy: Says He Wasn’t in Touch with Sallay after 2015

September 07, 2023

In a significant development, former President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding the Channel 4 Documentary that links Major General Suresh Salley to the Easter Sunday attacks. Since his ousting from the presidency, Rajapaksa has revealed that he had no contact with Major General Suresh Salley after stepping down from the position of Defence Secretary in 2015. He asserts that their reconnection only occurred after he assumed the presidency in 2019.

The Channel 4 Documentary in question has stirred a major political controversy in Sri Lanka. It suggested that the Easter Sunday attacks were orchestrated to create instability in the country, ultimately paving the way for the Rajapaksa family's return to power. Rajapaksa's statement directly challenges the documentary's claims, distancing himself from any involvement with Major General Salley during the period in question.

Furthermore, Rajapaksa has vehemently denied the authenticity of the story surrounding Major General Salley's alleged meeting with the suicide bombers in February 2018. He categorically labels this account as a fabrication.

This development adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing debate surrounding the Easter Sunday attacks and Major General Salley's alleged role in them.