Legal Entity of Police FCID Confirmed by Court Today

A petition was filed  in the   Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court to determine the validity of the Financial Crimes Investigation Division(FCID).

The FCID was established on the 26th of February last year under the instructions of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Police FCID is accountable for carrying out investigations island wide into serious financial fraud, the misuse of state assets or funds, cases that require intellectual skills and complex detection. The FCID has powers to arrest civilians, government workers and legislators without obtaining prior approval from the Attorney General. The suspect can be remanded by a Magistrates’s Court until further hearing.

When the case was taken up for inquiry today, Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne has pronounced that the Police FCID was established according to the provisions of the Police Ordinance and falls under the purview of the Inspector General of Police. Hence, that the FCID is a legal entity under the constitution of Srilanka , he declared.