The Law and Order Ministry said the branch handling police transfers was not aware of the raid carried out on a Colombo 7 Casino Den and insisted that the recent transfer of the 23 police personnel attached to the Organised Crime Division was not based on political influence.

“The division effecting transfers was unaware that the personnel had planned to conduct a raid on the Casino. The transfers were decided before the raid was carried out,” Law and Order Ministry Secretary Maj.Gen Nanda Mallawarchchi told Daily Mirror Online.

He said there was no political influence in the transfers though some opposition political parties had alleged it to be so.

“There was no political influence or pressure exerted, the only problem is that the Administrative Division had no idea that this raid was being conducted or its results until the decision was made public,” he said.

The country’s two main opposition parties -- the United National Party (UNP) and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) had earlier alleged that the transfer of the 23 police personnel was the result of high level intervention by an official attached to the Media Centre for National Security. They alleged that the owner of the Casino Den and the official were connected.

Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said the 45 suspects arrested during the raid on the high profile Casino Den in the heart of Colombo were subsequently fined and released after they pleaded guilty.(Hafeel Farisz)