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5. Insertion of new sections 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F, 4G, 4H and 4I in the principal inactment

Official English translation. The Sinhala text prevails. Open the official Sinhala text, official PDF on documents.gov.lk

The following new sections are hereby inserted immediately after section 4 of the principal enactment and shall have effect as sections 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F, 4G, 4H and 4I of that enactment :—

4A. (1) The police officer issuing the

Freezing Order in terms of section 4 shall, within the seven days during which such Order shall be in force, make an exparte application

“Confirmation of Freezing

Order by

Court.

Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist to the High Court seeking confirmation of such

Freezing Order and also if the circumstances so necessitate, request an extension to the original period of seven days.

(2)

Where the High Court is satisfied that there is sufficient reason for the making of such

Freezing Order, the Court may subject to any

Orders which may be made under section 4E, confirm the Freezing Order and also grant the application made for the extension thereof, for such periods as it considers necessary:

Provided that the maximum period of any extension so granted shall not exceed three months at any given time and in any event shall not in the aggregate exceed a period of two years from the date of the issuing of the

Freezing Order by the police officer:

Provided further that where indictment is filed for the commission of an offence under section 3 of this Act in respect of the fund, property, income, profit or instrumentality which is subject to the Freezing Order, such

Freezing Order shall unless vacated by Court for reasons to be recorded, remain in force until the conclusion of the trial in respect of such offence, or where an appeal is preferred against a conviction for such offence, until the determination of the appeal.

(3)

Where the High Court confirms a

Freezing Order under subsection (2) it shall cause a Notification of the Freezing Order to be published in at least one newspaper circulating in the Sinhala, Tamil and English languages, in order to facilitate bona fide third parties to make application to Court in support of their claims to the fund, property, income, profit or instrumentality which is subject to the Freezing Order.

4B.

in

No transaction shall, except with the sanction of the Court as provided for in section 4C be effected in relation to such funds, property, income, profit or instrumentalities while the Freezing Order is in force and any transaction so effected shall be null and void.

4C.

of the Freezing null and void

Where any legitimate business or other interests of any person affected by the Freezing

Order could be damaged by the prohibition imposed thereby, such person may make an application to High Court stating such facts in support thereof, and the Court may, on a consideration of such application before it, if it is of opinion that such an Order could damage legitimate business or other interests of such person and that essential transactions relating to such funds, property, income, profit or instrumentalities as may have been prohibited by such Freezing Order may be legitimately carried out, confirm the Order made under section 4 and make further Order, sanctioning the carrying on of such transactions subject to the supervision and direction of, either a person appointed in that behalf by

Court, or of a Receiver appointed in that behalf by Court under section 4D.

4D. Upon an application made in that behalf by a police officer not below the rank of an

Assistant Superintendent of Police, the High

Court may appoint a Receiver, in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Procedure Code

(Chapter 101), to take possession of and otherwise deal with the fund, property, income, profit or instrumentality which has been subjected to the Freezing Order, in accordance with such directions as may be given by Court in that behalf.

High Court to sanction essential and legitimate transactions.

Transactions contravention

Order to be

Appointment of Receiver.

Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist tracking and monitoring.

4E.

Property

(1)

Any police officer not below the rank of an Assistant Superintendent of Police shall take possession of, and otherwise deal with, any fund, property, income, profit or instrumentality which is subject to a Freezing

Order, and the Court may on application made by the said police officer and for the purpose of determining who owns, possesses or is in control of such fund, property, income, profit or instrumentality to which the Freezing Order relates, order-

(a)

that any document relevant to –

(i)

identifying, locating or quantifying such funds, property, income , profit or instrumentalities;

(ii)

establishing the ownership, possession or control of such funds, property, income , profit or instrumentalities;

(iii)

obtaining any other information pertaining to such funds, property, income , profit or instrumentalities, be delivered forthwith to such police officer; and

(b)

that a named institution furnish to the

Receiver all information obtained by the institution about any business transaction conducted by, or for, that person with the institution during such period before or after the date of such order, as the Court may direct.

(2)

Where it appears to the Court making an order under subsection (1) that any person has failed to or delayed in complying with or is otherwise obstructing the execution of, an order made under subsection (1), such Court may make order authorizing the police officer to enter and search any premises of that person, and remove any document, material or other thing therein for the purpose of executing such order.

(3)

Upon determining who owns, possesses or is in control of any funds, property, income, profit or instrumentalities to which the

Freezing Order relates, the police officer shall report the same to the Court making the

Freezing Order, along with all documents establishing and supporting such ownership, possession or control, as the case may be.

4F.

offence

(1)

Subject to the provisions of subsection (4), where a person is convicted of an offence under section 3 of this Act, the Court convicting such person shall, make order that any funds or property provided or collected in contravention of the provisions of section 3, any income or profit earned on such funds or property or any instrumentalities used in the commission of such offence, be forfeited to the

State, free from all encumbrances.

(2)

Where such funds, property, income, profit or instrumentalities cannot be found or traced the Court convicting such person shall order to pay to the State the equivalent value of such funds, property, income, profit or instrumentalities.

Forfeiture of property etc.

in relation to which an under this

Act has been committed.

Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist

(3)

Where such person fails to pay such equivalent value, the Court, shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Code of

Criminal Procedure Act, No. 15 of 1979, order him to pay a such value fine within such period as may be specified by Court.

(4)

In determining whether an Order of

Forfeiture should be made under subsection (1), the Court shall be entitled to take into consideration the fact whether such an Order is likely to prejudice the rights of a bona fide purchaser for value or any other person who has acquired, for value, a bona fide interest in such funds, property, any income or profit earned on such funds or property or such instrumentality.

(5)

An order made under subsection (1) shall take effect -

(a)

where an appeal has been preferred to the Court of Appeal or the Supreme

Court against the Order of Forfeiture, upon the determination of such appeal confirming or upholding the Order of

Forfeiture;

(b)

where no appeal has been preferred to the Court of Appeal against the Order of

Forfeiture within the period allowed therefor, after the expiration of the period within which an appeal may be preferred to the Court of Appeal, against such

Order of Forfeiture.

(6)

For the purposes of subsection (1), the

Court making the Order of Forfeiture may presume that any funds or property belonging to the person convicted of an offence under section 3 of this Act is derived or realized, directly or indirectly from the commission of such offence, if the value of such funds or property is not commensurate with the known sources of income of such person, and the holding of which cannot be explained on a balance of probabilities, to the satisfaction of the Court.

4G.

rights of

(1)

Any person, being a person to whom the provisions of section 3 do not apply, and who owns, possesses or is in control of any funds or property or any income or profit earned on such funds or property, or any instrumentalities, to which the Freezing Order made under section 4 relates, may within thirty days of the making of such Order apply to the

Court making the same, seeking the intervention of Court to exclude from such

Order any fund, property, income, profit or instrumentalities which such person owns, possesses or is in control of.

(2)

Where an application is made under subsection (1), the Court shall upon being satisfied on the information before Court that -

(a)

such funds or property is not derived or realized directly or indirectly from the commission of such offence or such funds or property is not an instrumentality used in the commission of such offence;

(b)

the applicant was not in any way involved in the commission of an offence under section 3 in relation to which the

Freezing Order was made;

Restoring the bona fide claimants.

Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist

(c)

the applicant had acquired an interest in such funds or property at any time prior to the commission of such offence, and the applicant was unaware of the fact that the defendant had used or had intended to use such funds or property in or in connection with the commission of such offence; or

(d)

the applicant had acquired an interest in such funds or property at the time of, or after the commission or alleged commission of the offence, and that such interest was acquired in circumstances which would not give rise to a reasonable suspicion that such fund or property was proceeds or instrumentalities of such offence, make order for the release of such fund, property income, profit or instrumentality which is the subject of the application before it, from the Freezing Order made under section 4, and restore the rights of the applicant in respect of the same.

4H.

upon

Where any fund, property, income, profit or instrumentality has been forfeited to the State under section 4F of this Act, the Court making the Order of Forfeiture may, appoint a

Receiver in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Procedure Code (Chapter 101), to be in charge of the fund, property, income, profit or instrumentality so forfeited.

4I.

Secrecy

The provisions of sections 4 to 4H of this Act shall have effect notwithstanding any obligation as to secrecy or other restriction imposed upon the disclosure of information

Appointment of a Receiver

Forfeiture.

obligation overridden.

by any written law or otherwise, and accordingly any disclosure of information by any person in compliance with the provisions of sections 4 to 4H of this Act shall be deemed not to be a contravention of, any such obligation or restriction.”.