FCID not bad, govt.’s intention and procedure was: SLPP

By Lahiru Pothmulla   

The Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) is not bad but the intention of the government and the procedure it adopted was bad, Opposition MP Udaya Gammanpila said yesterday.   

Responding to a question asked at a SLPP news briefing, MP Gammanpila said the investigative body should be made free from political interference.   
When asked about repeated pledges made by the Opposition to abolish the FCID, the MP said, “the FCID is not bad but the intention and the procedure of the government was because it was established in an illegal manner. This has already been challenged in the Supreme Court so we are waiting for its judgement.”   

He said that the people should be able to directly go to a police station and lodge a complaint but the people can’t go to the FCID directly to make a complaint.   
“You have to submit the complaint to the Prime Minister’s office and then the Prime Minister’s Office has the discretion to decide whether to forward the complaint to the FCID or not. Because of this, there is political interference in the process and we are against that. We will ensure that people will be able to directly lodge complaints regardless of the financial fraud,” he said.   
He said the FCID was something essential similar to the Narcotic Bureau since there should be specialised police officers with a financial background.   
“Otherwise, when investigative officers are not competent enough to understand the crime, how can we bring the culprits to justice? Therefore, the political interference should be removed from the FCID,” he said.   “We are not going to interfere in justice at any cost at any time. The law will prevail and take its own course and we will monitor it to ensure that all culprits will be taken before the law,” he said.   

Speaking at the news briefing earlier, MP Wimal Weerawansa said a new government would reopen a number of key cases and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.   
“Legal action should be taken against Central Bank bond scammers including the mastermind Arjuna Mahendran. We need to reopen a number of cases including the one where a youth was left injured permanently in Rajagiriya after he was hit by a car allegedly driven by MP Champika Ranawaka. The MP Hirunika Premachandra involved defender abduction case and the Vidaya Amarapala and Panama papers case should also be reopened,” he said.   

He also said the alleged white van driver, who was brought to a news briefing by MP Rajitha Senaratne, should be arrested over alleged abductions. “If he has lied, proper legal action should be taken against him,” he said.     

The FCID is not bad but the intention and the procedure of the government was because it was established in an illegal manner. This has already been challenged in the Supreme Court so we are waiting for its judgement