New laws for national security and crime busting

A new National Security Act and an Organised Crime Prevention Act to replace the Public Security Ordinance will be presented to Parliament by the end of July, Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said.

He said the new laws while incorporating more safeguards of human rights would also give more power to law enforcement authorities to fight hi-tech and cross border crimes.

The Organised Crime Prevention Act was intended to fill a lacuna in the present laws and assist law enforcement authorities to trace those behind crimes such as drug and human smuggling and money laundering.

“The present laws only allow for the front men to be arrested and charged while those managing such illegal operations usually go undetected. The new laws will strengthen the powers of investigating authorities to go behind those who control criminal activity from behind the scenes,” the minister said.

He said organised crimes usually involved cooperation between criminal gangs from different countries and the new laws would strengthen the links with law enforcement authorities of other countries so that such criminal gangs could be busted.

Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiaratchchi said the new National Security Act was being drafted by the Legal Draftsman’s Department in consultation with the Defence Ministry, the Law and Order Ministry, the Justice Ministry and the Attorney General’s Department.

He dismissed reports that the legislation was being drafted with assistance from foreign countries.