Bribery Commission Chief Sarath Jayamanne and Chairman of the Special Presidential Task Force on Recovery of State Assets J.C. Weliamuna speak of achievements and challenges in the fight to end state sector corruption at the UN General Assembly
Director General of the Bribery Commission Sarath Jayamanne PC and anti-graft activist J.C. Weliamuna PC addressed Sri Lanka’s ongoing fight against corruption in the state sector at a high level debate at the UN General Assembly in New York last week, highlighting the country’s achievements and struggles as it seeks to root out decades of systemic corruption in the political sphere.
Participating at the high level debate of the United Nations General Assembly to mark the 15th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), Bribery Commission DG Jayamanne said, the enactment of the 19th Amendment to the constitution which reinstated independent commissions had given “new life” to existing institutions with an anti-corruption mandate and established new agencies mandated to fight corruption.
Citing an example of the Commission’s newfound independence, Jayamanne highlighted the Bribery Commission’s recent netting of two high ranking officials working at the highest levels of Government - referring to the widely hailed sting operation by Bribery Commission sleuths which netted then serving Presidential Chief of Staff Dr K Mahanama and the Chairman of the Timber Corporation P. Dissanayake who were arrested in the process of accepting a cash bribe to the tune of Rs. 20 million. Both officials were immediately sacked by President Maithripala Sirisena.
“This not only demonstrated the independence of our body, but also the policy of non-interference. These arrests marked a landmark in our work on anti-corruption, as this was the highest ranking official to have been arrested, while in office, in 60 years” Jayamanne told the General Assembly.
The Bribery and Corruption Chief also stressed that the independence of these Commissions from any kind of political influence was crucial in fighting corruption and restoring confidence in the system.
Addressing a panel discussion, Weliamuna PC who serves as Chairman of the Special Presidential Task Force on Recovery of State Assets pointed out the challenges facing anti-corruption bodies in Sri Lanka, even after a peaceful regime change. The political will to reform a corrupt system is obstructed due to bureaucracy by those who have been beneficiaries of previous corrupt regimes, he noted.
Weliamuna said, political will and bureaucratic will are both equally important, urging that it was time to explore the possibilities of establishing a UN Working group to examine “the post state capture” realities in relation to fragile governance structures and bureaucracies.
The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on State Asset Recovery had been invited by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime to serve as a panelist on the panel titled “Achieving peaceful and inclusive societies through preventing and combating corruption,” during the full day event.
The event was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on May 23, 2018 and attended by Ministers and other high officials of anti- corruption entities of member states. The United Nations Convention against Corruption was adopted by the UN General Assembly on October 31, 2003. Sri Lanka became one of the first countries to become a party to the Convention in March 2004. Today, a vast majority of United Nations Member States are parties (184 countries) to the Convention.
On the sidelines of the high level meeting, Sarath Jayamanne, had a bilateral meeting with John Brandolino, Director of the Division of Treaty Affairs of the UNODC where the existing levels of cooperation between the Government of Sri Lanka and the UNODC was emphasized. In recognition of the active role on anti-corruption played by Sri Lanka, it was noted that the UNODC had decided to hold a meeting of global experts in Colombo in July 2018. Both, Brandolino and Jayamanne agreed to work closely in achieving shared objectives of anti-corruption. Ambassador Dr. Rohan Perera, PC, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN and Mrs. Sonali Samarasinghe, Attorney at Law, Minister, Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN were also present at the meeting.