The government will rewrite a draft bill amending the Anti-Corruption Act so that the asset and liability declarations of elected representatives remain open to public inspection, Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake told Parliament on Thursday.
The announcement reverses the effect of a gazette notification issued last month, which would have suspended public publication of those declarations. Hiru News reported that the restriction had prompted sustained public criticism in recent days.
“We propose that the information related to public representatives remains accessible to anyone, just as it was before, while providing protection for the others,” Rathnayake said, according to EconomyNext.
Under the revised approach, full public access will be preserved for politicians, while privacy protections will apply to state officials who are not elected representatives. Rathnayake told Parliament that the amendments were intended to remove provisions that produce “adverse situations” and to make the legislation more effective.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) had pushed for broader restrictions on access. The government has cited harassment of public officers and the distortion of published information as grounds for shielding non-political officials.
Rathnayake was blunt about the reasoning. “Some forces, including some media organisations are engaged in misusing information uploaded on the CIABOC websites,” he told the House, as reported by Daily Mirror.
The Anti-Corruption Act No. 09 of 2023 requires designated categories of individuals to declare assets and liabilities as part of the country’s anti-corruption framework. Ada Derana reported that the revised draft will be presented once the amendments are finalised.
Transparency International Sri Lanka had called for the withdrawal of the amendments gazetted on July 24, warning that curtailing access would weaken public scrutiny of those holding office.
