The Hon. U.P. Abeywickrama, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chair, in today’s debate to approve the remuneration and service conditions of the officers and employees of the Commission under the Anti-Corruption Act, many Members have supported the effort.

¶ 02 Sri Lanka signed the UN Convention against Corruption in 2004—nineteen years passed with laws in place but without building the institutional culture and systems for true enforcement. The CIABOC has existed since 1994—almost three decades—yet successive rulers limited action to paper while manipulating systems at will.

¶ 03 On 21 September 2024, a new era started with our Government. We pledged to eradicate corruption, waste, fraud and bribery. After we came to power, we removed obstacles to recruitment and now seek approval to provide proper salaries and allowances and to build capacity. This is a pivotal moment to make the Commission an effective, independent body.

¶ 04 Why 971 staff? Because the institution must function independently and at scale. Over the last year, the public finally feels a genuine, active Commission exists. Previously, with only a small team and over 4,000 files to investigate—amid economic collapse and a public service recruitment freeze—progress was limited. In the past year and a half, we stabilized the economy and administration, and now we can finalize cadre and remunerations to match the mandate.

¶ 05 Allegations against the Power Minister revive a culture opponents wish to project onto us. However, the fact that an indictment was filed—regarding an incident when he was a public officer about a decade ago—under this Government shows institutional independence. Claims that “they too are corrupt” will not stick when our actions prove otherwise. We are committed to protecting public assets and rights.

¶ 06 The current Middle East conflict cannot be controlled by us; it affects all countries. We have stabilized Sri Lanka and, as tensions ease, we believe we can further consolidate stability.

¶ 07 Thank you.