News
Luxury vehicles worth over Rs 250 mn found
Police say arrest of Dematagoda Ruwan culmination of high-profile probe
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Police say the recent arrest of Ruwan Chamila alias Dematagoda Ruwan is the culmination of a high level investigation undertaken by law enforcement authorities probing threats posed by the underworld to national security.
Police Spokesperson Attorney-at-Law SSP Nihal Thalduwa explained how following a government intervention at the highest level, the police initiated a special investigation targeting money laundering.
“The police discussed this matter even with the banking sector as part of the overall efforts to identify those involved,” the official said, adding that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested Ruwan Chamila on Oct 29 following a painstaking investigation.
“Initially, we took into custody several luxury vehicles estimated to be worth at least Rs 180 mn,” SSP Thalduwa said, adding that two other vehicles Rs 20 and Rs 7 mn were recovered later.
Ruwan Chamila is the brother of Siranayaka Pathiranage Chaminda Ravi Jayanath alias Dematagoda Chaminda sentenced to death in 2016 over the killing of one-time PA lawmaker Bharatha Lakshman Premachnadra in Oct 2011.
Dematagoda Chaminda at the time of the incident had been a bodyguard of then lawmaker Duminda Silva, who received a presidential pardon from incumbent President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Investigators also took into custody a Land Cruiser estimated to be worth Rs 20 mn from Dematagoda Chaminda’s wife, in addition to a BMW. The police say the woman managed a nightclub in the Borella police area.
According to SSP Thalduwa, since the CID launched investigations into cases of unexplained wealth amassed by various persons properties worth Rs 340 mn had been temporarily taken over pending further investigations.
Responding to another query, SSP Thalduwa said that an arrest made by Indian authorities recently and sharing of information with local law enforcement too facilitated the investigation into activities of Dematagoda Ruwan. The official said that investigators also recovered gold estimated to be worth Rs 22 mn from him.
Approval has been granted at the Cabinet meeting held on 22.07.2024 to publish the draft bill of State Assets Management Act in the government gazette notification and thereby present it to the Parliament for its concurrence.
However, the draft bill couldn’t be passed in Parliament as a result of the Parliament being dissolved in the month of October 2024.
Thereafter, the draft bill was subject to further inspection by a
committee appointed which comprised of officials and authorities on the subject.
The said Committee has recognized the amendments to be made and a fundamental draft has been prepared including the proposed amendments.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to suspend further activities regarding the draft bill of State Assets Management Act published in the extraordinary gazette of 02.08.2024, and to direct the Legal Draftsman to prepare a draft bill based on the fundamental draft prepared by the subject specialists’ committee.
Considering the compliance of the Cooperative Societies’ operations with the concurrent socio – economic circumstances as well as the changes in the common law, the requirement of amending the Cooperative Employees Commission Act No. 12 of 1972 has been recognized.
A fundamental draft including proposed amendments based on the experience gained by that Commission as well as the opinions and proposals of Cooperative societies, their director board members, cooperative employees and other interested parties has been prepared.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative development to provide instructions to the Legal draftsman to prepare a draft bill to amend the Cooperative Employees Commission Act No. 12 0f 1972, based on the said fundamental draft.
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