COLOMBO ‒ The government will amend the Anti-Corruption Act to impose certain restrictions on public access to the asset and liability declarations of public officials published on the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) website, while maintaining full public access to the declarations of elected public representatives, Minister Bimal Rathnayake announced in Parliament.
Delivering a special statement in Parliament on Thursday (6), the minister said the proposed amendments are intended to protect the personal information of public officials, following complaints that information disclosed under the law had been misused.
“The public has the right to know the assets and liabilities of their elected representatives. However, it is necessary to examine whether unrestricted access should be granted to the personal details of government officials,” he said.
Rathnayake noted that there had been instances where individuals, including those claiming to represent media organizations, had allegedly distorted information contained in asset declarations and published misleading reports. He also said complaints had been received that personal information disclosed through the system had been used to harass or obstruct public officials.
The minister said the proposed amendments would apply only to public officials and would not affect public access to the asset declarations of public representatives.
The Anti-Corruption Act, No. 9 of 2023, introduced sweeping reforms to Sri Lanka’s anti-corruption framework, including mandatory asset and liability declarations for a wide range of individuals, from elected representatives to public officials, under Sections 86 and 88 of the Act.
Rathnayake said the declaration process had been modernized through amendments introduced last year, replacing the previous paper-based filing system with a centralized electronic platform.
According to the minister, around 160,000 asset and liability declarations have been submitted electronically to CIABOC this year. In accordance with the law, these declarations have been published on the commission’s official website for public access.
He added that the proposed amendments would seek to strike a balance between transparency and the protection of personal information, while preserving public scrutiny over the financial disclosures of elected representatives.
-ENCL
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