Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa says that the government has produced a draft bill in parliament to amend the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act No. 25 of 2002.
The former President in his communiqué further emphasizes that the structure of the initial act will change significantly with many clauses being changed through the new draft bill.
The prevailing law is only applicable to nations while the amendment will facilitate the infiltration of organizations such as the International Criminal Court.
The former President highlights that the proposed amendment is coupled with the Office on Missing Persons Act which was previously introduced by the present government and the Act which was brought forward to enforce the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, in Sri Lanka.
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his communiqué further notes that the draft bill will facilitate the implementation of the provisions in the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance Act No 5 of 2018.
A mechanism should be in place to obtain evidence from Sri Lanka for a case that is being heard in another country regarding crimes that are said to have taken place in Sri Lanka.
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his communiqué thus stresses that the objective of the proposed amendments to the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act of 2002 is in fact, to pave way for such a mechanism.
Meanwhile, the former president stated that the general public will respond in the near future to the suppressive programme adopted by the government to imprison leaders in the opposition.
The former president made this comment addressing a ceremony at the Jumma Mosque in Mukarawewa – Horowpathaana this morning.
