Sri Lanka Police's Financial Crimes Investigation Division is investigating 17 additional companies in connection with suspected illegal transfers of money overseas allegedly presented as payments for imported goods.
The investigation forms part of a broader FCID inquiry into overseas remittances allegedly carried out using import-related documentation.
Earlier investigations in the same broader chain have involved allegations that substantial sums were transferred abroad after transactions were represented as payments connected to goods being imported into Sri Lanka.
Police have previously arrested suspects and investigated companies and banking transactions in connection with such allegations.
The latest development expands investigative attention to another 17 companies.
The fact that a company is under investigation does not establish that it committed an offence.
The transfers remain the subject of investigation, and the companies should not be described as fraudulent or guilty unless such findings are established through the appropriate legal process.
The currently verified information does not provide a sufficiently reliable aggregate value for the transactions involving these 17 additional companies.
Accordingly, do not assign an amount to the 17-company investigation unless production-time primary Police or court material establishes it.
Likewise, do not imply that every company involved in the broader investigation has the same ownership, transaction history or alleged role.
This article should distinguish the fresh investigation into the 17 additional companies from earlier arrests and allegations in the broader overseas-remittance inquiry.
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