Piyumi Hansamali, who went to clash with the CID, takes a step back

The Court of Appeal has granted permission for model Piyumi Hansamali to withdraw the writ petition she filed, seeking an order to prevent her arrest in connection with investigations being conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) regarding allegations of illegally acquiring assets. She had submitted this petition to the court challenging the legality of these investigations, which are being carried out by the Illegal Assets Investigation Division of the Criminal Investigation Department.

The petition was considered before a two-member bench of the Court of Appeal, comprising Justices Mayadunne Corea and Lakmali Karunanayake, where Additional Solicitor General Shanil Kularatne, appearing on behalf of the Attorney General, clarified the facts before the court. He pointed out that the Criminal Investigation Department is continuously conducting a comprehensive investigation into how the petitioner's assets were acquired, and that further sufficient time is required to fully complete these investigations. The Additional Solicitor General further stated that a specific timeframe for completing these investigations cannot yet be declared.

Here, President's Counsel Ronald Perera, appearing for the petitioner Piyumi Hansamali, stated before the court that his client has not yet been arrested in connection with the incident. Therefore, the President's Counsel requested permission to withdraw this petition while reserving the legal right to file a new petition if any legal necessity arises in the future. Accordingly, the Court of Appeal bench, having considered the submissions made by both parties, decided to grant permission to withdraw the petition with the said condition.

According to the legal framework in this country, financial intelligence investigations conducted to uncover suspiciously acquired assets and income sources are subject to strict monitoring in accordance with the standards prescribed by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and international Anti-Money Laundering conventions (FATF Standards). These investigations, carried out under the Prevention of Illegal Assets and Money Laundering Act, are part of a normal legal process maintained by law enforcement agencies with the aim of protecting the transparency of the national economy.