Retrospective laws can set criminals free-Rusiripala Tennakoon

COLOMBO (News 1st) -Retired senior banker, Rusiripala Tennakoon expressed the potential serious effect in relation to the bond scam. He expressed these views on our Newsline programme this morning (February 12). He said that retrospective laws could cause confusion and complicate the procedures within the legal system in Sri Lanka. He said that when a law is approved in the parliament, constitutionally there is no means to stop retrospective laws. To avoid such conflict several countries have prohibited the approval of retrospective laws in their constitutions. He added that when a retrospective law is introduced and approved in Sri Lanka and a suspect is summoned before a court he/she has the right to appeal claiming that it was not the law enforced when the crime was committed. He noted that the perpetrators of the 1962 coup managed to free themselves employing the concept of retrospective law as they were imprisoned by a retrospective law. Contemplating on the current state of affairs in Sri Lanka, he asked what were to happen if the history repeated itself?  "What if the suspects in the bond scam go to the Supreme Court and plead that when they committed the felony it was not the enforcing law and they are not ready to pay Rs.8.5 billion".