Harsh penalties for bogus tsunami death claims

The Justice and Judicial Reforms Ministry will take legal action against any person contravening the procedure set out in the Section 3 of the Tsunami (Special Provisions) Act in obtaining death certificates regarding persons said to have died or gone missing after the tsunami, Minister W. D. J. Seneviratne said yesterday.

A person found guilty of deliberately providing false information to obtain a death certificate will be liable to a term of rigorous imprisonment not exceeding five years under the legal provisions now in operation in this regard.

The Minister said making a false declaration or providing false information in the application for a death certificate under the tsunami act, failure to inform the Registrar General that a person against whom a death certificate has been issued is actually living or using a death certificate issued for a person who is living in a fraudently knowing fully well that, that person is living are all capable wrongs punishable under section 5 of the tsunami (special provisions) Act, the Minister said in a press release.

Any person committing the above offences will be indicted before the High Court by the Attorney General.