Eran campaigns for effective assets declaration

Opposition lawmaker Eran Wickramaratne 

• Moots amendments to 1975 Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Act
• Proposes incumbent and former presidents, PMs and Ministers too should declare assets voluntarily to CIABOC
• Candidates to present declaration with nominations
• Independent body mooted to file charges

By Darshana Abayasingha

Opposition lawmaker Eran Wickramaratne yesterday called on the President, Prime Minister and all former leaders present in Parliament to declare their assets and set an example for all others to follow.  

Last week, the SJB MP presented a private members bill to amend the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities law of 1975. The president in his policy statement said it is essential to eradicate bribery and corruption, adding he will formulate new laws to combat corruption through the ministry of justice, whilst consensus will also be reached with the IMF on a process to combat corruption. Wickramaratne remarked it is high time to action this statement and called on the president to implement these proposals urgently.

“Example is even more important than law itself. So, whilst the law is being changed, I call upon the leaders and cabinet ministers to voluntarily make their declarations public. That will be more powerful than the change in law itself,” he said. Responding to a question on why the Yahapalana Government was soft on combating corruption, Wickramaratne said the then President and Prime Minister must assume full responsibility for the failures of that regime.  

The draft bill presented by the MP seeks to remove the “archaic secrecy provisions within the act” and keep it in line with obligations of disclosure under the Right to Information act and principles of maximum disclosure. Therefore, it does not provide fir completely unfettered public access, with privacy of the declarants protected. The draft complies with international norms on asset declaration and transparency. 

It also mandates for the President too to make public his income and assets, which is currently not a requirement. The bill calls on all senior officials, parliamentarians to declare their assets immediately, and for election candidates to hand over a declaration along with nominations.

Wickramaratne said the declarations should be handed over to an independent body such as – a further strengthened – Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption (CIABOC), which should be empowered to routinely investigate if these declarations are true, and if any anomalies occur. The bill also proposes stricter penalties for violations and supports law enforcement to pursue asset recovery.

“There should be better accountability. The situation with regards to corruption today is not what it was in 1975, it is vastly different. These proposals will protect the public and even officials. Many politicians have built a huge asset after entering politics, and the amendments to the act means that officials cannot secretly amass large amounts of wealth after coming into public office,” the SJB MP said.

He added it was critical to formulate an independent body that could file against perpetrators, as such action could not be expected from the Attorney General’s department due to conflicts of interest. This must take place alongside affording greater powers to CIABOC.

Wickramaratne noted that widespread corruption in Sri Lanka is a moot point during discussions with the IMF, and economic crimes were also listed for the first time at the UNHCR sessions in Geneva.