"The legal proceedings related to this tragic incident are being processed independently and impartially, without any influence. The necessary groundwork towards this end has been laid, to ensure justice for all the victims," Wickremesinghe said in his Easter Sunday message.?"I pledge my unwavering commitment to ensuring the security of our country, by preventing any recurrence of such heinous acts,” the President said. He also said that the Government is dedicated to realising the aspirations of all Sri Lankans regardless of race, religion, party or colour. “I strongly believe that we can overcome these challenges in the near future,” he said.

The Easter Sunday bombings triggered a political storm as then-President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe were blamed for their inability to prevent the attacks despite prior intelligence being made available. Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on January 12 ordered Sirisena to pay SLR 100 million as compensation to the victims. The former president stressed the attack took place without his knowledge. As many as 12 petitioners, including the kin of the victims, the Catholic clergy, and the lawyers’ body Bar Association of Sri Lanka, filed the fundamental rights petition against the then-president for his negligence in preventing the attacks.

A presidential panel of inquiry appointed by Sirisena after the attacks ironically found the then-president guilty of his failure to prevent the attacks. Sirisena, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge in the case filed after the panel’s findings. Head of the local Catholic Church, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, continued to express his dissatisfaction over the probe, claiming that the investigation was a cover-up. Sirisena denies the charge and blames the then defence establishment for the lapse which led to the coordinated attacks.