The Hon. Sujeewa Dissanayake

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, this is another moment when a policy pledge of the National People’s Power—“A Prosperous Country – A Beautiful Life”—to end corruption, fraud, theft, and waste, flowers into reality. Among laws from independence and the parliamentary process since 1947, this is a very special Bill at Second Reading today. It is a privilege to vote for and speak on it.

¶ 02 I saw some Members today making a mockery of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit. During World War II, Germany, Italy, and Japan caused immense destruction, yet today many nations engage with them. Japan is a top industrial nation. We are not of a petty mindset. India’s and our policies differed then; India is not in that place today. Some Members who sold their seats for Rs. 900 million now talk about corruption. After this becomes law, those Members too will have to explain their actions.

¶ 03 This Bill presented by the Minister of Justice includes 151 core clauses. A former President once said, “My word is the law.” We have moved past that era. Such a Bill is presented because our legal sources had gaps and dispersions requiring new laws.

¶ 04 Currently, Roman-Dutch law, English law, Thesawalamai in Jaffna, Kandyan law, and Muslim law operate here. Perhaps these do not suffice to address modern corruption and fraud. Hence this Bill.

¶ 05 In the Mahavamsa, Ven. Mahanama Thero wrote that unowned property belongs to the ruler—the State. We see properties without clear ownership—Malwana house, Imbulgoda estates, Kataragama house. Such anomalous properties must belong to the State. That is the purpose of this Bill.

¶ 06 We saw a plan to open a Sri Lanka Bank branch in Seychelles. After 2019, attempts were made to bring amnesty laws to launder unlawfully acquired wealth and park stolen money abroad. That is why a law like this is needed. Though attempts were made before, they were blocked. Our duty is to pass and implement it, and use it—not leave it idle—to punish a small number of officials, politicians, and businessmen who stole the nation’s wealth, and to recover it.

¶ 07 The objectives are recovery, investigation, restraint, preservation, management, and establishing an authority for managing recovered proceeds. The people saw at COPE how national assets of the National Youth Services Council and the Gem and Jewellery Authority were misused. This Bill is to recover such assets.

¶ 08 This Bill focuses on several sectors—financial crimes, organized and unorganized misconduct, and institutional wrongdoing—investigating them and protecting informants and whistleblowers. A majority of our people are Buddhists; the Buddha taught in the Vaggapajja Sutta how to earn wealth righteously through honest labour and for lawful gains. Yet many leaders plundered national resources while beating their chests. In 1948 our per capita income was the second highest in Asia; by 2025 we are the second poorest in Asia due to theft of national wealth and the future of our children. This Bill is presented to reverse that.

¶ 09 Clause 34 requires disclosure where incomes, receipts, and assignments are unlawful; if one holds something unlawfully, it must be disclosed or it will be subject to recovery. Clause 43 elaborates the powers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. Clause 45 provides for a specialized “Proceeds of Crime Investigation Division” in Police. Clause 49 sets out functions, duties, and powers of designated officers. Clause 52 outlines how to commence investigations into suspected proceeds of crime. Clause 57 empowers entry, search, and access to places, facilities, networks, and digital storage to identify, locate, and confirm suspected proceeds.

¶ 10 Clause 81 addresses preservation of recovered property. Clause 96 establishes the Authority for the Management of Proceeds of Crime. Clause 118 provides for punishment proportionate to the magnitude of the proceeds of crime. We have seen people imprisoned for lengthy periods for grave acts—those who misused our national wealth. Clause 151 resolves language issues by validating the Sinhala text in case of inconsistency among Sinhala, Tamil, and English texts.

¶ 11 This important Bill will be law by this evening. I urge all Members to support it.

¶ 12 Thank you.