Cabinet approval to set up special High Court

Sri Lanka’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal to establish a special High Court to expedite cases pertaining to crimes involving public property, money laundering, funding of terrorism, misuse of state resources and organized crime. 

The statement issued on Cabinet decisions reached yesterday (7) states that expediting the hearing of cases on financial fraud, corruption, larcenous acts regarding government assets and incomes and similar crimes has become practically difficult due to cases continuing to pile up at courts in the country. 

Therefore a need was identified to establish a High Court specially dedicated to expediting cases pertaining to crimes committed involving public property, money laundering, funding of terrorism, criminal breach of trust and misuse of public property, organized crime, bribery and corruption charges and highly complex financial crimes. 

Accordingly, the High Court will consist of 3 three-member judge benches appointed by the Chief Justice. 

Therefore the proposal put forward by Justice Minister Thalatha Athukorale to instruct the Legal Draftsman to draft the relevant legislations to establish this new High Court in accordance with Article 105 (1) (C) of the Constitution, has been approved by the Cabinet.