The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition

¶ 01 Hon. Minister, there are a large number of illegal financial institutions across the country. These are not creations of yesterday or today. This has been a serious problem for many years. Through illegal finance institutions, our people have been rendered destitute. One example is the Eastern Hewagamkorala Cooperative Society. In fact, depositors have lost billions of rupees there. Around 40,000 to 50,000 depositors have been left destitute.

¶ 02 Also, various individuals have come to this country from abroad and run online loan programmes, blackmailing customers to recover money. They exert various pressures at the victims’ workplaces and publicize their names to collect the money. Especially through social media, this online loan mafia has trapped innocent people and the poor, charging exorbitant interest in an illegal financial racket.

¶ 03 Hon. Minister, I also wish to remind you about the groups that seize vehicles who have turned to illegal activity. Ignoring our Inspector General of Police, they have engaged in a process of grabbing vehicles from innocent people. I would like to know what steps you will take to protect our people from the online loan mafia engaged in these illegal operations, from illegal micro and small loan racketeers, and from the mafia of those vehicle “seizers.”