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Wednesday, September 23 2026
Wednesday, September 23 2026
MONETABRIEF - Fifteen men convicted over Sri Lanka’s 2019 Easter Sunday bombings will appeal their record sentences, according to a defence lawyer.
The Colombo High Court on Tuesday night handed the 15 men life imprisonment without parole after a five-year trial, with individual terms ranging from 200 to 260 years and an average of 220 years each.
The court ordered the convicts’ assets confiscated while nine other defendants were acquitted and walked free after spending over seven years in remand custody.
A total of 25 men were accused of aiding and abetting the suicide bombers who attacked three luxury hotels and three churches on 21 April 2019, killing 279 people in the country’s deadliest civilian terror attack. One of the defendants died in custody leaving 24 to stand trial.
Defence lawyer Kaneel Maddumage who represented some of the convicts said they would appeal both the convictions and the sentences to the Supreme Court, and asked that all be given copies of the proceedings to file their appeals.
The judgement ran over 3,000 pages.
Survivors and the Roman Catholic Church welcomed the verdicts, calling them a measure of justice and a deterrent, even as the trial stretched over more than five years.
Among those convicted on all charges was Mohamed Naufar, identified by prosecutors as the ringleader who supported the eight-member suicide squad that carried out the bombings. (COLOMBO/Sept23/2026)
| 3 month bill | 9.22% | 22bp ▼ |
| 12-m bill | 9.91% | 10bp ▼ |
| Gold (Ounce) | $4602 | - - |
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