FCID investigates three bank accounts containing Rs. 957 million

COLOMBO (News 1st) - The Police Financial Crimes Investigations Division is investigating three suspicious bank accounts containing a total of Rs. 957 million. The accounts in question are held by three Chinese nationals and is being investigated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. According to the 'B report' filed in court, on March 15th the Financial Intelligence Unit of Sri Lanka at the Central Bank had made a complaint to the Financial Crimes Investigations Division citing suspicious transactions in accounts maintained by three Chinese nations at a private bank in Colombo 3. Thereafter, the Colombo High Court had issued an order to freeze these accounts. The FCID says one of the Chinese nationals had obtained visa to enter Sri Lanka using false information, claiming to be a translator at an establishment in Colombo 3. The visas of the other two Chinese nationals are being investigated by law enforcement. According to the 'B report', these Chinese nationals were informed to appear before the FCID yesterday (March 29) to record statements over their suspicious transactions, however, they had failed to do so. Later it was revealed one of them had already left the country and authorities had obtained an order preventing the other two from leaving the country. The FCID is investigating as to how three Chinese men acquired a sum of Rs. 957 million. Earlier this year, the European Parliament has confirmed that Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Trinidad and Tobago were on the European Commission’s blacklist of countries at risk for acts of money laundering. In addition, the Inter-governmental Financial Action Task Force listed Sri Lanka among eleven ‘high risk and monitored jurisdictions’ that have taken insufficient measures to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other threats to the international financial system.