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Garlic scam: IGP asked to keep CID professional

02 Oct 2021

By Yoshitha Perera Minister of Mass Media Dullas Alahapperuma has informed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) that the authority must report any arrest or investigation of media personnel who were accredited by the Department of Government Information to the Director General of the Department. This followed the alleged garlic-related fraud at state-owned retailer Lanka Sathosa that created much controversy, with many condemning the Criminal Investigation Department’s (CID) handling of the investigation, which involved the summoning of newspaper editors and journalists to record statements in relation to the matter. The CID’s move was widely condemned by local civil society groups, politicians, and media organisations. The matter was also raised in Parliament. The CID’s actions came in the wake of concerns raised by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and other rights advocacy groups on the country’s shrinking democratic space and intimidation of the press. The CID began the investigation following a complaint by Minister of Trade Bandula Gunawardana over the recent statements made by former Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) Executive Director Thushan Gunawardena to the media, accusing Minister Gunawardana of being responsible for several major corruption issues involving Lanka Sathosa and the CAA. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) President Saliya Peiris PC said that the criminal justice process must not be used to stifle dissent and to curb freedom of expression. “When it comes to the legal process, all authorities, including the Police, must be aware that the powers under the Code of Criminal Procedure and criminal law shouldn’t be misused to curb freedom of expression,” he said. A statement issued by the Media Organisation Collective (MOC) last Friday (1) also condemned the CID’s actions and pointed out that directing the Police to “hunt down journalists for political reasons was a serious offence”. “Attempts to intimidate and hunt down journalists could go beyond violating freedom of expression, providing protection for the corrupt and ignoring corruption scams,” the MOC said in the statement. Minister Alahapperuma told The Sunday Morning that he had informed the IGP that if the Police was investigating or questioning media personnel who had an ID issued by the Department of Government Information, the Police must report the particular incident to the Director General of the Department within an hour. “I informed the IGP to explain the exact reason for the inquiry into the relevant journalist if the Police were questioning or investigating them in relation to any matter,” he said. The Sri Lanka Police last week launched an investigation into CID officers who summoned newspaper editors and journalists to record statements in relation to reports of an alleged garlic scam at Lanka Sathosa. Issuing a statement last Wednesday (29 September), Minister of Public Security Rear Admiral (Retd.) Sarath Weerasekera said that he had instructed the IGP to hand over the garlic scam investigation that was conducted by the Peliyagoda Special Crimes Investigation Division to the CID. Meanwhile, Minister of Trade Gunawardana said that if he was proven guilty of any of the allegations regarding the scam, he would resign from his ministerial position and never return to politics.

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