Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law - Minister of Justice and National Integration

¶ 01 Thank you. I acknowledge that there have been reports—extortion, ill-treatment by certain internal networks. We have transferred, removed, and recruited officers as needed. This cannot be solved overnight, as one cannot simply “walk in” and see everything; a subculture has evolved over decades. I submit information to the present Commissioner General and take steps to mitigate conditions. It is part of an ongoing struggle against institutional corruption. We have made progress, though not yet sufficient.

¶ 02 Regarding overcrowding, especially remand: we are improving buildings but that alone will not solve it. We are streamlining processes—expediting Government Analyst reports and facilitating bail more quickly, and we are considering legal reforms to allow High Courts to grant bail more promptly in certain instances. We recruited 50 more officers to the Government Analyst’s Department. Our goal is to improve human rights protections and reduce prolonged detention through legal and administrative measures.