(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –Secretary to the President, Austin Fernando emphasized the importance of the tasks entrusted to criminal investigation officials. He said that their task is of immense importance to the quest for justice and fight crimes, corruption and frauds.
Outlining the difficulties and challenges faced by the officials, Mr Fernando said when political regime changed, the criminal investigating officers conducting inquires into allegations of corruption and fraud run into hurdles as sometimes frauds were committed with alleged involvement of some in the bureaucracy, police, law enforcement services, judicial process and media.
He said this addressing the Regional High Level Meeting towards the establishment of a Regional Platform for Sharing of Criminal intelligence in South Asia.
The specific objective of the meeting is to consider and agree on the viability and structure of a regional platform for the sharing of criminal intelligence to prevent and combat transnational organized crime in South Asia.
Transnational Organized Crime issues have multi-lateral and global dimensions which require global and regional cooperation to counter them.
Experts from six member states, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, Mr. Jagath P. Wijeweera, Secretary to the Ministry of Law & Order and Southern Development, Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya, Dr. Samantha Kumara Kithalawaarachchi, Director of the Presidential Task Force for Drug Prevention and officials of the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) participated in this meeting.
