The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law - Minister of Justice and National Integration

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

¶ 02 I came to address today’s Motion; however, as usual, some previous speakers presented a number of falsehoods. Before addressing those, let me focus on the matter at hand.

¶ 03 Parliament repealed the Bribery Act of 1954, the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Law, No. 1 of 1975, and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption Act, No. 19 of 1994, and consolidated their strengths and corrected weaknesses to enact the Anti-Corruption Act, No. 9 of 2023, in line with the UN Convention against Corruption which Sri Lanka signed in 2004. It received certification on 8 August 2023. Although enacted, it lacked necessary regulations to operationalize. Our Government has since brought it into force.

¶ 04 Under Section 2, the commencement date was gazetted by the then Minister of Justice as 15 September 2023. From that date, the previous Commission ceased, and under Section 3 a newly constituted Commission began with special powers and features, not under any Ministry and distinct from 41A-type constitutional commissions. Section 26(1) allows the Commission to appoint officers and employees as it deems necessary under its own rules, and Section 26(2) requires Parliamentary approval, after consulting the Minister in charge of Finance, for their remuneration and service conditions.

¶ 05 Today’s Motion seeks Parliamentary approval, under Section 26(2), for the remuneration and conditions of service of the Commission’s officers and employees. The intent of the Act is to enable the Commission to function independently with its own cadre. Since 2023, this was delayed due to lack of political will and clarifications vis-à-vis the State Finance Management Act, No. 44 of 2024. The Attorney-General and Supreme Court have clarified that the provisions of that Act do not constrain appointments under Sections 26(1) or 27 of the Anti-Corruption Act. Therefore, we are proceeding with these proposals.

¶ 06 As we pledged when we came to power, fighting bribery and corruption requires a strong, independent institution. Any developing nation must minimize corruption to attract investment. Combating corruption is not only about prosecuting wrongdoers; it requires systems, procedures, and political will. We have established three full-time courtrooms to hear bribery cases. Under the FATF-related programme, as referenced in the IMF Governance Diagnostic, we are instituting procedures, rules, and working methods across Ministries to tackle bribery, corruption, money laundering, and related offences. That is why a dedicated cadre—971 staff—is essential. Corruption investigations are complex: forensic accounting, online transactions, sophisticated techniques. You need trained, dedicated investigators; routine investigations are not comparable.

¶ 07 Since last year, the public has seen the Commission’s renewed activity. In 2024–2025, Sri Lanka climbed 14 places in the Corruption Perceptions Index, from 121 to 107, with score improving from 32 to 35, within one year. I thank the Commissioners, Director-General, staff and investigators for this achievement—it reflects this Government’s political will.

¶ 08 Regarding allegations about coal: for months some claim “low-quality coal.” If such wrongdoing exists, these are independent institutions—submit complaints to Police, to the Commission. Even our own Minister has been indicted for an incident dating back to 2014 when he was a public officer; this occurred under our Government’s watch, demonstrating the Commission’s independence. No one is above the law.

¶ 09 We inherited a bankrupt economy—no reserves. Now reserves have increased to around USD 7 billion and stability has improved. With the Iran–US tensions escalating, we will not run around in panic. We have already appointed four subcommittees to examine power, food, transport and other public issues and will manage these responsibly.

¶ 10 Yes, QR Code reintroduction has caused some issues, but they are being resolved quickly. I urge the Opposition to act responsibly and not to stoke fear at fuel queues. We will take all necessary steps to safeguard the public amidst uncertainty over when the conflict will end. We will not allow fearmongering about blackouts based on misinformation. Let us work together. Supply chains are disrupted globally; we will carefully manage matters and ask the public to support the Government.

¶ 11 Thank you.