Tackling financial crimes

Premier Wickremesinghe attributed the Financial Crimes Investigation Department’s (FCID) delay in the investigation of corruption allegations to a breakdown in processes and the sophisticated nature of corruption, while saying that the Bribery Commission needs to be revived.

“We started the FCID, but FCID has to be a combination of legal, business and police investigations. Unfortunately to do that, we require laws, like the Serious Frauds Office in the UK,” he said.

“Secondly, if we look at the corruption that has taken place, it’s very sophisticated. Our investigators have to be trained. We’ve done a crash program and sent them out to be trained in foreign countries—the UK, USA, India, the World Bank—we’re training the group up,” he added.

Wickremesinghe said that the FCID has received 200 complaints, of which 20 are currently being investigated and some have been closed with court action already taking place.

He expressed that while Sri Lanka is signatory to the UN Convention against corruption, it has not been legislated, which once done, would give the state greater legal powers.

In addition, he said that a new institution must replace the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.

“We have 1,900 files laid by, and 250 different vacancies that have to be filled. At the moment there’s a deadlock between the Commissioners and the Director General. The Director General pulled 50 police officers to fill vacancies and the Commissioners turned it down. So for all purposes, the Commission is defunct,” Wickremesinghe added.

He said that new members will be appointed to the Commission following the elections, and that the groundwork is being laid.

The Prime Minister promised that results will show after the elections.