SFB to probe large scale financial crimes

The Sri Lanka police did not have the capacity to investigate serious frauds and financial crimes and that was why the government sought assistance of countries such as UK and India

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday in Parliament said a Serious Frauds Bureau (SFB) would be set up in line with that in Britain to probe large scale frauds and financial crimes. He said the setting up of the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) was the initial step in this direction.

The Prime Minister said this in response to allegations made by opposition MPs that the FCID had been set up for the specific purpose of investigating politicallymotivated complaints referred to it by a Secretariat under the purview of a Cabinet Sub Committee headed by him.

United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MP Gamini Lokuge reading out the gazette notification issued by Public Order Minister John Amaratunga said politicians who were vocal against the government were hounded through this Division in the guise of investigating financial crimes.

He said complains were referred to it by the Secretariat set up by the Cabinet Sub Committee headed by the Prime Minister as mentioned in the gazette notification issued on February 13.

"The Prime Minister is acting as a policeman. We are in no way opposed to impartial investigations being carried out by the police or the CID," Mr. Lokuge said.

Mr. Wickremesinghe said there were serious frauds committed through the Stock Exchange, by money laundering and in the award of tenders.

He said the Sri Lanka police did not have the capacity to investigate serious frauds and financial crimes and that was why the government decided to empower the police with assistance from countries such as England, India and the United States.

Mr. Wickremesinghe said experts from the Serious Frauds Bureau in England had trained local police in the investigation of such crimes. He said similar assistance would be sought from the World Bank as well.

National Freedom Front Leader Wimal Weerawansa said nobody was opposed to the setting up of such a body to act independently under the police, but there was concern only about political victimisation of individuals based on complaints from the Secretariat linked to the Prime Minister.

“A DIG is in charge of this Division. It is said that he has been compelled to toe the government's political line with the promise of being promoted as the Police Chief," he said.

The Prime Minister denied this allegation and said he had not made any such promises to anyone. "The appointment of the Police Chief is a matter for the President to decide," he said.