CIABOC Director General calls for public-driven reform under new anti-corruption strategy

• DG Ranga Dissanayake urges public participation, legal literacy and institutional reform to combat corruption at public awareness initiative on CIABOC’s comprehensive five-year action plan
• Says new legislation expands CIABOC’s mandate beyond prosecution to include prevention, education, and capacity building
• Claims widespread public ignorance of legal rights as root cause of systemic corruption
• Says action underway to launch digital asset and liability declaration system with ADB support next year
• Highlights political bias and selective outrage as barriers to true accountability
• Emphasises CIABOC’s full independence and its broader mission to build a just, transparent society

CIABOC DG Ranga Dissanayake

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) Director General Ranga Dissanayake on Thursday underscored the urgency of systemic reform, institutional strengthening and public participation in the battle against corruption.

Speaking at a public awareness initiative on CIABOC’s comprehensive five-year action plan, he called on the public to become more actively involved in the fight against corruption, not merely as observers, but as informed citizens who understand their rights and demand institutional accountability.

He said the five-year action plan is part of a broader National Anti-Corruption Strategy that was formally unveiled on 9 April under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Disanayake. “This plan aligns with international conventions and extends CIABOC’s mandate well beyond investigation and prosecution,” he said.

Dissanayake noted that under the previous legislation, the Commission was limited to filing charges, but the new law provides it with a much broader authority, covering prevention, institutional capacity building and legislative development.

“I could not believe the level of corruption we have in Sri Lanka. It has reached a place where we cannot even imagine,” he said.

He also pointed to Sri Lanka’s low global ranking of 121 in terms of corruption as evidence to the scale of the challenge and stressed that systemic failure, particularly the public’s lack of awareness about laws, plays a significant role in enabling such widespread corruption.

He identified public ignorance as a fundamental weakness in the country’s governance framework. “People exercise their democratic process every five years hoping for a better future, but the vast majority do not even know what the laws and rights are. It is a shame and a major collapse in the system. This lack of legal literacy is one of the biggest reasons corruption has reached great heights,” he added.

According to him, education about the legal framework must begin at school level, so that citizens grow up understanding their rights and responsibilities.

One of the key initiatives in the Action Plan includes the development of an electronic system for asset and liability declarations, which CIABOC is building with technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). This centralised digital platform is expected to be operational by next year, making assets and liability declarations more transparent and easier to monitor.

Despite widespread public sentiment demanding justice for corruption, Dissanayake pointed out public paradox and political bias in demanding accountability that undermines these efforts. “Although people often say we want the thieves to be prosecuted, they mean all the other thieves, but not the one they support,” he added.

The five-year plan, Dissanayake opined, is not just a roadmap for prosecution, but a holistic strategy aimed at creating a more just, transparent and accountable, governance system.

“Many are of the view that CIABOC is just chasing after corrupt thieves, but the Commission’s mandate is much wider. If we succeed in meeting the objectives of this action plan, we will help shape a new Sri Lanka we all waited for,” he stressed.

He stressed the independent nature of the Commission, clarifying widespread misconception.

“Many think we are a government institution, but we are a 100% independent organisation,” he said, reaffirming the CIABOC’s autonomy in the national anti-corruption framework.