Let the officers dedicated to the nation's security live in peace - Sabry says on behalf of Sale

Former Minister Ali Sabry has expressed his strong displeasure against the arrest of former State Intelligence Service Chief, Retired Major General Suresh Salley, by the Criminal Investigation Department. Posting a note on his social media account, he points out that harassing officers dedicated to the nation's security in this manner will lead to a collapse in the morale of the armed forces, and that this is merely an act done for temporary political gain.

Naming him as a suspect in the investigations related to the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks that occurred in 2019, Mr. Suresh Salley was arrested by a team of Criminal Investigation Department officers this morning in the Peliyagoda area. At the time of the attack, he served as a Brigadier and held a consultant position at the Sri Lankan High Commission in Malaysia, and prior to that, he had also served as the Director of the Sri Lanka Army Intelligence Division.

The former minister emphasizes in his note that this arrest marks an extremely regrettable day for the Sri Lankan military and intelligence agencies. He stated that the arrest of an excellent officer who directly contributed to the complete destruction of the LTTE's intelligence network, the launching of operations targeting senior terrorist leaders like Thamilchelvan, and the process of apprehending K.P., raises serious questions about the direction in which the discourse on national security is heading.

Mr. Sabry's view is that such officers, who risked their lives for the country's security in the past, are now being dragged into a battlefield created by political agendas without proper evidence. Although the rule of law and accountability are essential in a democratic country, he points out that it should be carried out while preserving institutional dignity and fairness. The former minister accuses that instead of conducting a formal and evidence-based professional investigation to deliver justice to the victims of the Easter attacks, it has currently been turned into a mere public spectacle.

The former minister states that regarding the Easter attacks, assistance from international investigators, including the American FBI, has already been obtained, and even those parties have indicated that there are no new facts to be uncovered through further investigations. In such a context, he mentions that using this tragedy as a weapon for narrow political objectives could severely impact the country's international credibility as well as its long-term national security. Ali Sabry further stated that truth and justice should only be based on law and evidence, and that history will deliver a proper judgment to those who politicize such sensitive matters.