Prevention of Corruption Act to be amended

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption in collaboration with Transparency International, the public and private sectors and civil society activists organised a ‘Walk Against Corruption’ and a commemoration ceremony to coincide with International Anti-Corruption Day 2015 yesterday. Here Director General Dilrukshi Dias Bandaranayake (right) with J Weliamuna at the walk – Pix by Shehan Gunasekara

Amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act will be formulated, enabling the Commission to Investigate Allegation of Bribery or Corruption to work freely and independently.

Addressing the concluding ceremony of the ‘Walk Against Corruption’ held yesterday at Independence Square, President Maithripala Sirisena said he would make every arrangement for the institutions which work for prevention of corruption to work in a free and fair manner without any political influence.

He further said that the requests made by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption would be presented to Parliament and necessary Cabinet approvals would be taken to implement them.

The walk was organised by Transparency International Sri Lanka and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, in line with International Anti-Corruption Day.

The President noted that this was the first time a president of Sri Lanka was participating in an Anti-Corruption Walk. He pointed out that former Governments did not have the ability to mark this day with the people and the organisations working for the prevention of corruption.

“Today the people are enjoying the 19th Amendment to the Constitution brought about by the new Government they elected on 8 January. Measures have been taken to free this country from bribery and corruption through this amendment, fulfilling the expectations of the people,” the President said.

The Sri Lanka Anti-Corruption Integrity Award was presented posthumously to the late Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero and the former Editor of Ravaya newspaper Victor Ivan at the ceremony.

Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya, Ministers Sagala Rathnayaka and Malik Samarawickrama, Deputy Ministers Harsha de Silva, Karunarathne Paranawithana and Ajith P. Perera, MP Sunil Handunneththi, Chairman of the Commission to Investigate Allegation of Bribery or Corruption T.B. Weerasuriya and Director General Dilrukshi Dias Bandaranayake also participated in this event.