Attorney General says Government to introduce amendments to Organised Crimes Bill

By The Pulseline News Desk

The Government is to introduce amendments to the proposed Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill, with the Attorney General informing the Supreme Court today (9) that changes will be made to the legislation during its parliamentary Committee Stage.

The Attorney General has notified the Court of the proposed amendments while proceedings relating to the Bill were taken up before the Supreme Court. A document setting out the proposed changes was also submitted to the Court.

Attorney General haa informed the Supreme Court that offences under the Excise Act and copyrights offences under the Intellectual Property Act will be removed from the Prevention of Organised Crimes draft Bill and the clause on Detention Orders will be amended.

The amendments are expected to be formally presented when Parliament considers the Bill at the Committee Stage.

The development comes amid growing legal scrutiny of the proposed legislation, with several petitions filed before the Supreme Court challenging its constitutionality and provisions. The petitions have raised concerns over the potential impact of the proposed law on fundamental rights and the powers it would grant to law enforcement authorities.

The Bill is intended to provide a legal framework to combat organised criminal activity. However, concerns have been raised over certain provisions, particularly those relating to detention powers and the potential for misuse of enforcement powers.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has indicated that the Government is prepared to consider amendments following wider consultation with relevant stakeholders. He has maintained that the legislation should be taken forward after obtaining views from different parties and addressing concerns raised over its provisions, rather than rushing its passage through Parliament.

During earlier discussions on the proposed legislation, the President has also indicated that changes could be made, including reducing the proposed detention period from 72 hours to 48 hours and removing provisions relating to tattoos as a basis for identifying individuals suspected of organised criminal activity.

The Government’s decision to submit proposed amendments to the Supreme Court signals that changes will be incorporated into the Bill before its final passage through Parliament.