The United Nations Development Programme handed over 17 pieces of equipment to the DNA laboratory of the Government Analyst’s Department on Tuesday morning, in a transfer aimed at clearing the backlog of forensic casework in sexual and gender-based violence prosecutions.
The equipment includes an RT-PCR machine, a PCR system and a Crime Lite Serology Kit, Hiru News reported. Together they form what UNDP describes as an integrated forensic workflow — moving from detecting biological evidence to analysing and profiling it.
Who signed, and where
The handover took place at the department’s premises on Isuru Mawatha, Battaramulla, according to the Daily Mirror. UNDP Resident Representative Azusa Kubota handed the equipment to the Government Analyst, in the presence of Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara and the Canadian High Commissioner.
The agreement was signed after an inspection of the equipment. A separate discussion chaired by Minister Nanayakkara covered conditions at the department, progress in issuing Government Analyst reports, and the need for modern testing equipment — the bottleneck that has repeatedly delayed criminal trials.
Who is paying
Hiru reports the transfer falls under UNDP’s “Ensuring Justice for Victim Survivors of SGBV in Sri Lanka” project, funded by the Government of Canada and implemented jointly with UNFPA Sri Lanka. The equipment was procured after a study of the laboratory’s existing processes.
Neither outlet gives the value of the equipment or the size of the project budget.
Two name splits in the same report
The two outlets spell the Government Analyst differently: Hiru writes Kamani Perera, the Daily Mirror Kamini Perera. The Daily Mirror also carries an internal inconsistency, calling her “Government Analyst” in one paragraph and “Acting Government Analyst” in the next — acting and substantive are a real distinction, and neither outlet resolves it.
The Canadian High Commissioner is named Isabelle Martin by Hiru and Isabella Martin by the Daily Mirror. This desk’s earlier reporting, including on Canadian rural poverty funding in June, has used Isabelle.
Context
The Government Analyst’s Department is the state’s forensic testing authority, and its turnaround times are a standing constraint on prosecutions. In August this desk reported that about 70 per cent of its caseload consists of drug-related testing — a workload that competes directly with the SGBV samples this equipment is meant to clear.
Not reported
Neither outlet gives the value of the 17 items, the total budget of the Canada-funded project, or the current size of the DNA testing backlog — the figure against which this transfer would have to be measured. Neither says how many SGBV cases are awaiting analysis, what the present turnaround time is, or what it is expected to become. No timeline for the equipment becoming operational is given.
