Colombo, November 21 (Daily Mirror) – The government will take action towards the establishment of a mechanism for the recovery of stolen assets, in line with the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR Initiative) and new measures for investigating corruption and fraud, such as promised in the election manifesto, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said yesterday.
The minister told Daily Mirror that the introduction of new legislation is necessary to establish a mechanism to recover stolen property, and the government will consider this in the future in line with the mandate given by the people in the last elections .
Asked whether the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), which operated during the time of the Yahalapana government, would be revived, he said it is currently operating under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) but not as a separate entity. He said his work will continue.
“Some initiatives to tackle corruption and fraud can be taken in accordance with existing laws. The other mechanism, such as a special investigation agency for the recovery of stolen goods, should only be implemented by introducing new legislation. The government will definitely take action in this direction,” he said.
Eradicating corruption and fraud is a key campaign theme of the ruling National People’s Power (NPP).
The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) set global standards for anti-money laundering policies and asset recovery efforts. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Bank’s Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR) support international efforts to recover stolen assets.
Leave a Reply