The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) plans to establish 23 regional offices across Sri Lanka before the end of this year as part of an expansion of its operations, Director General Ranga Dissanayake told the Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance.
Dissanayake said District Secretaries had already identified and inspected suitable government buildings for the proposed offices. Some of the buildings will be renovated and allocated to CIABOC, while the remaining offices will operate from rented premises.
He said the Commission also plans to recruit 971 new personnel to strengthen its capacity and support the expanded regional network.
The Director General made the remarks when the Committee considered CIABOC’s budget estimates for the 2027 financial year at a meeting chaired by Committee Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva on Tuesday.
According to Dissanayake, the expansion is being implemented in line with Sri Lanka’s commitments under the International Monetary Fund programme and the country’s Anti-Corruption Action Plan.
He said essential equipment, including computers and photocopy machines, would be procured for the new regional offices through a USD 2.5 million Japanese grant provided via the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The equipment is expected to cost approximately Rs. 109 million.
Dissanayake also revealed that nearly 34,000 individuals required to submit declarations of assets and liabilities under the new Anti-Corruption Act had been identified for the imposition of late fees. The fines collected from them will be credited to the Commission’s fund.
Dr. Harsha de Silva stressed that CIABOC should be provided with all financial and other resources required under the Act to enable it to carry out its functions independently and effectively.
Deputy Ministers Chathuranga Abeysinghe and Dr. Kaushalya Ariyaratne, along with MP Harshana Rajakaruna, also attended the meeting.