The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption conducts a series of Corruption Prevention programmes to minimize bribery and corruption in the public sector and create a society that upholds integrity. Accordingly, another programme of this series was conducted on 09.02.2024 for officers of the Department of Agrarian Development, and used the department auditorium for the purpose.

Based on a complaint made by a driver/bus owner in Labukele, Investigation Officers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption arrested two officers serving at the Nuwara Eliya District Office of the Central Province Passenger Transport Service Authority at around 10.10 a.m. on 2024.02.2024. The arrest was made inside the office on allegations of accepting a bribe of Rs. 30,000/-.

The Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Law of No. 01 of 1975, as amended by Act No. 74 of 1988, mandates several categories of officials/individuals to declare their assets and liabilities. In addition to these categories, Section 80 of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 09 of 2023 identifies a number of other categories of officials/individuals for the declaration of assets and liabilities.

In a proactive move against corruption, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption’s (CIABOC) Prevention Unit conducted a prevention program for Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Electricity Superintendents. Held on February 15th, 2024, at the Dehiwala Regional Center auditorium, the program aimed to equip CEB personnel with prevention strategies aligned with the newly enacted No. 09 of 2023 Anti-Corruption Act.

CIABOC (Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption) and UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) joined forces to host their Training of Trainers (TOT) program in the Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka, achieving resounding success.

Colombo High Court Judge Amal Ranaraja sentenced a Transport Manager attached to the Road Passenger Transport Authority of North-Western Province on 07.02.2024 after pleading guilty to all the charges of the case HCB 178/2022, filed against him by the Commission following a raid conducted in 2019.

As outlined in the National Action Plan for Combatting Bribery and Corruption in Sri Lanka, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption conducts programmes to raise awareness of the officers in the public service. Accordingly, it conducts a series of programmes for officers of the Department of Motor Traffic, and one programme of the series was conducted at Motel Shanaya on 20th January 2024 for officers serving in Matara, Galle, Hambantota and Monaragala Districts.

The third prevention programme for officers of the Department of Agrarian Services was conducted on 08th February 2024 and, 100 officers of the head office attended it. Prevention Officers Mr. Sampath Arachchige, Mrs. J. L. A. Udeshika Madhubashani and Mrs. Rushanthi Dilshani provided the resource contribution for the programme.

Investigation Officers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption arrested two Police Sergeants on 02.02.2024 on allegations of accepting a bribe. The suspects have solicited Rs. 100,000/- from a person in Yatawatta, Matale, promising not to take legal action against him for using an expired vehicle revenue license and for riding the motor bicycle without a driving license. The amount has later been decreased to Rs. 50,000/- and had accepted Rs. 10,000 from the complainant for returning the expired license. The arrest was made at Millawana Junction along the Matale- Madipola route on allegations of accepting a bribe of Rs. 10,000/-.

A discussion with all stakeholder institutions conducting co-curricular activities in schools was held in the Education Ministry auditorium on 19.01.2024 to discuss the co-curricular activity Action Plan to be implemented in schools during 2024 and about the issues pertaining to it. Mrs. Dushmanthi Rajapaksha (Assistant Director General), Mrs. Udeshika Jayasekara (Prevention Officer) and Mrs. Gayashani Uswatta (Legal Assistant) represented the Commission. The Commission received the praise of the Education Ministry for the programmes it implements in compliance with the MOU it signed with the Education Ministry in 2021. Discussions first focused on the programmes CIABOC conducted for students, teachers, Principals and teacher trainees in 2023. It next moved to the programmes CIABOC intends to implement this year under the funding of the JURE project of UNDP. It was suggested to focus more on raising the awareness of Vice Principals this year. Possibility of including bribery and corruption related-laws in the school curriculum was another matter discussed.

After unearthing the fraudulent registration of nearly 400 vehicles by the Department of Motor Traffic, Investigation Officers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption have been able to uncover specific details of 156 vehicles.

The petitioner, Director General of the CIABOC, filed an application invoking the revisionary jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal to challenge the decisions of the High Court of Colombo dated 12-09-2022 and 22.09.2022, which resulted in the dismissal of the petitioner's case and discharge the Accused. Base of the said decisions of the learned High Court judge was the precedent established in Anoma Polwatte judgement, where it was decided that the absence of sanction of all three Commissioners’ to institution of proceedings amounted to patent lack of jurisdiction.