Sri Lankan court to deliver verdict on deadly Easter bombings

There were also 2,076 pieces of evidence, including explosives, swords and firearms.In the wake of the attacks, Sri Lankan authorities pointed to a "major intelligence lapse". Its parliament heard that a tip-off from India about the attacks was not properly shared with the authorities.In 2023, the Supreme Court ordered former president Maithripala Sirisena to pay millions in compensation to the victims of the bombings, after finding him responsible for national security failures that led to the attacks.Last month, two former senior officials were sentenced to death for criminal negligence that led to the bombings. Death sentences are usually commuted to life in prison in Sri Lanka due to a decades-old moratorium on executions.For years, Sri Lankans have held regular demonstrations demanding justice for the victims of the Easter attacks.The verdict on Tuesday comes as a separate investigation on former intelligence chief Suresh Sallay is under way. Sallay is accused of orchestrating the bombings with Islamist extremists.The allegations echo those aired in a 2023 documentary by British broadcaster Channel 4, which heard whistleblower testimony claiming the attacks were allowed to happen to boost the popularity of the Rajapaksa family, which long dominated Sri Lankan politics.Sallay, who was arrested in February, denies the allegations. Former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was elected months after the 2019 attacks, with a campaign of tackling Islamist extremism has also denied the allegations.