The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption has instructed all public officials to submit their declarations of assets and liabilities on or before June 30, warning that legal action will be taken against those who miss the deadline.

The directive, issued by CIABOC on Monday, cites the Anti-Corruption Act as the statutory basis for prosecution of officials who fail to file. The Commission did not specify the categories of officials covered, but the Act applies to elected representatives, judges and senior state employees alongside lower-ranking public servants in declared positions.

CIABOC also announced that asset and liability declarations, previously accepted in printed form, will now be processed exclusively through an online system. Officials are required to access the Commission’s official website to submit their statements electronically.

The move standardises a long-running compliance gap. CIABOC has repeatedly flagged poor compliance with asset declaration requirements as a structural weakness in the anti-corruption framework, with annual filings missing from large numbers of officials across multiple ministries and state agencies.

The system-wide directive is distinct from individual filings the Commission has been pursuing in recent weeks, including former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s affidavit and the complaint filed by Minister K. D. Lal Kantha over unfiled declarations of MCPA officials.

CIABOC has been the primary enforcement body for the post-2024 corruption agenda under the National People’s Power government, anchored by the Anti-Corruption Act passed during the previous administration. The June 30 deadline is the first hard date set for compliance across the entire public service since the digital filing system went live.

Update — June 15: CIABOC reissues deadline warning with expanded categories

With 15 days left to the deadline, CIABOC Director General Ranga Dissanayake reissued the warning in a special statement on Sunday, calling the fines for non-compliance “unavoidable and substantial” and citing Section 80(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2023 as the basis for further legal proceedings, Ada Derana and Newswire reported.

The Commission also clarified the expanded list of designated individuals covered by the 2023 Act. Beyond the standard public service, declarations are now mandatory for Wharf Clerks under Section 115 of the Customs Ordinance, executive officers of trade unions, owners and editorial personnel of registered print and electronic media organisations, officials of sports associations established under the Sports Act, and all management-grade officers in the state and provincial public service. Submissions must be made exclusively through the centralised electronic system launched on March 31, 2026, with no alternative methods accepted. CIABOC said registration levels remained “very low” and pointed eligible filers to its hotline, 1954, for further inquiries.

Sources