By: Staff Writer
March 11, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka is under pressure to show its commitment to tackle corruption in the country as the island nation prepares for the second review of its International Monetary Fund bailout package at present.
The government has published an action plan to combat corruption, which includes reforms to a bribery commission, public tendering, state enterprise governance and an asset recovery law, following a governance diagnostic report published as part of an International Monetary Fund program
“At the request of Sri Lanka, a Governance Diagnostic Assessment (GDA) was concluded by the IMF and based on recommendations the Ministry of Finance has published the Government Action Plan on the 29th Feb 2024,” State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe said on x (twitter).
“This further demonstrates the government’s commitment to building a sustainable economy and good governance in the country,” Semasinghe said.
The IMF’s Governance Diagnostics Assessment recommended implementing 16 directives. “A government action plan will inform next steps in the implementation of recommendations,” the IMF had said at the time.
It was recommended that Sri Lanka update and publish the Action plan on an annual basis every February.
Eradication of bribery and corruption from a country requires a vision. That vision must be displayed to the entirety of the nation in the form of a Plan.
. As such, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) was entrusted with the task of formulating a National Action Plan for Combating Bribery and Corruption in Sri Lanka.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption along with the Presidential Secretariat and the Ministry of Public Administration brought together all relevant stakeholder institutions to gather and collate the opinions/ suggestions of the public.
As such, 50 consultations have been carried out throughout Sri Lanka which concluded with 4 such meetings being held at the Parliament.
Public representatives were given an opportunity to share their ideas. Furthermore, this endeavor includes the input of various sectors including state officials, professionals, civil societies and artiste.
The collation of all these suggestions and recommendations have contributed to the formulation of the National Action Plan for Combating Bribery and Corruption in Sri Lanka, which received Cabinet approval.
The Action Plan is premised on 04 strategies for combating bribery and corruption in Sri Lanka. They are namely, Prevention Measures, Value-based Education and Community Engagement, Institutional Strengthening of CIABOC and other Law Enforcement Agencies and Law and Policy Reforms.
Additionally, 04 Handbooks will be released alongside the Action Plan, exploring decisive factors which would shape the course of combating bribery and corruption in the nation.
