The three‑judge Trial‑at‑Bar, comprising Judges Navaratne Marasinghe, Ramanathan Kannan and Sujeewa Nissanka, found 14 of the accused guilty on all counts and a 15th guilty of some charges, while acquitting nine others.
The convictions relate to the April 21, 2019 attacks carried out by nine suicide bombers from the National Thawheed Jamaat, an Islamist group linked to ISIS, which ripped through three Catholic churches and three luxury hotels, killing 279 people – including 11 Indians – and wounding more than 500.
In total, 24 people were tried after one of the original 25 defendants died; prosecutors brought 23,270 charges and called 2,309 witnesses during the proceedings.
Beyond the prison sentences, the court ordered the confiscation of the convicts’ movable and immovable property, a move aimed at depriving them of any proceeds from the attacks.
Defence counsel Kneel Maddumage, who represented seven of the convicted, said on September 23 that he would seek to file appeals in the Supreme Court, both against the convictions and the unprecedented length of the sentences, and has requested that all defendants receive copies of the judgment to prepare their appeals.
Catholic Church spokesman Father Jude Krishantha welcomed the verdict, saying it brings a sense of justice for the victims’ families, who had long awaited accountability.
The sentencing follows earlier judgments in July, when former defence‑ministry official Hemasiri Fernando and ex‑police chief Pujith Jayasundara were each sentenced to death for failing to act on intelligence that could have averted the 2019 attacks.