The Hon. (Ms.) Kaushalya Ariyarathne (Ph.D.)

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, before I begin, I wish to express my condolences on the passing of our colleague Hon. Kosala Nuwan Jayawira—a comrade-in-arms and leader. We can fulfil his aspirations only by collectively advancing the cause he believed in.

¶ 02 As Hon. Lakmali Hemachandra stated, the Proceeds of Crime Bill is very important. I thank the Hon. Minister of Justice and his team for bringing it swiftly. I also thank the expert committee of 17 members who provided intellectual input to this substantial, 255-page Bill, developed with reference to 14 domestic and international policy/guidance documents, 65 local statutes, four UN legal instruments, and seven comparable foreign laws—showing its comprehensive nature, with inputs from international experts where appropriate.

¶ 03 Previously, provisions related to recovering illicit assets were scattered across anti-money laundering, bribery (amendment) and anti-corruption laws. This Bill consolidates them into a stronger, coherent framework.

¶ 04 Regarding the concern raised on Clause 4(1) and retroactivity: in our view, this Bill addresses property currently being held, even if the underlying wrongful act occurred earlier. For example, if a house illicitly acquired in 2010 is still possessed, the focus is on existing property; one cannot avoid recovery merely because the crime occurred in the past. Our people gave us a mandate to recover stolen public wealth, consistent with our policy commitments.

¶ 05 A few notable features for public awareness: - Clause 38 facilitates admissibility of electronic transactions evidence in online fraud and similar offences. - Knowingly retaining or destroying property known to be stolen proceeds is an offence. - Clause 39 allows courts to accept foreign expert reports as expert evidence, notwithstanding the Evidence Ordinance, where appropriate.

¶ 06 Thank you.