34,000 individuals to face fines from Bribery Commission
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has identified around 34,000 individuals who are liable to face penalties over late submissions of asset declarations, Director General Ranga Dissanayake told the Committee on Public Finance (COPF).
Responding to questions from COPF Chairman Harsha de Silva regarding the Commission’s financial requirements and the availability of funds, Dissanayake said there was currently no money available in the relevant fund, but funds were expected to be received in the future.
De Silva suggested that the Commission impose higher fines where applicable, noting that revenue generated through penalties could be utilised to meet some of its requirements.
In response, Dissanayake revealed that approximately 34,000 individuals had already been identified in relation to late submissions of asset declarations, adding that penalties would be imposed on them.
De Silva remarked that the revenue generated through fines imposed on such a large number of individuals could even be used to purchase vehicles required by the Commission.
During the discussion, the COPF Chairman also raised allegations that the Bribery Commission was disproportionately pursuing individuals associated with the opposition.
Responding to the allegation, Dissanayake said the Commission was dealing with a significant backlog of investigations, including files dating back many years, and that this had resulted in several individuals in the opposition being implicated in ongoing investigations.
He said the Commission could choose to stop investigating older complaints and concentrate exclusively on new cases, but explained that priority had instead been given to establishing a special unit to complete longstanding investigations.
Dissanayake cited an investigation file dating back to 2005, saying the Commission would have to close it because legal proceedings could not be instituted after the lapse of 20 years. He said this illustrated the age of some of the files still remaining with the Commission.
He stressed, however, that prioritising old files did not mean that newly received complaints were being ignored, adding that investigations into other matters were continuing with the resources currently available.
The Director General also referred to several Presidential Commissions appointed in 2015, saying a number of files originating from that period remained unresolved.
He said the Commission had also received a considerable number of complaints following the change of government, including around 70 cases stemming from the Presidential Commission chaired by Justice Preethi Padman Surasena.
According to Dissanayake, these include major cases, but little or no progress had previously been made on several of them.
He further said there were files dating from 2019 where, apart from meetings being held, no substantial progress had been made until 2025.
Dissanayake maintained that new complaints were also being addressed and said the Commission would be able to devote greater attention to newer investigations as it completes the backlog of longstanding cases. (Newswire)
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