.President also disclosed that he had personally spoken with Singapore’s Prime Minister concerning the extradition of Central Bank bond scam suspect former Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran. The President said all the respondents in the Central Bank bond scam case have been identified and while some have been arrested, international arrest warrants have been issued to apprehend those who fled overseas.
Commenting on the Easter Sunday terror attacks the President said all those connected to the attacks have been apprehended and ongoing investigations have unearthed clear evidence against them.
The President pointed out that according to the country’s criminal law capital punishment can be given to those found guilty of murder, a conspiracy against the state and an act of terrorism. President Sirisena said he believed that the efforts to bring an act before parliament to annul the capital punishment could be an attempt to prevent death penalty being imposed upon those who killed over 300 people and wreaked unprecedented carnage on April 21.
The President also declared that he rejects with disdain any attempt to insult the Maha Sangha irrespective of the status of the person behind such an attack. Insulting the Maha Sangha cannot be accepted and it does not matter how high the status of the person behind such an attempt, he stressed.