President hopes to make Sri Lanka top corruption-free nation

President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday said that his expectation during his tenure was to place Sri Lanka at the top among countries fighting corruption. 

He was speaking at the Global Expert Group Meeting on the Jakarta Principles held under the aegis of the President in Colombo.

The Jakarta Principles are a set of principles adopted by experts and practitioners to strengthen the effectiveness of anti-corruption authorities around the world. They are enshrined in the Jakarta Statement on Principles for Anti-Corruption Agencies, adopted in November 2012 at a meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, bringing together current and former heads of anti-corruption authorities, anti-corruption practitioners and experts.

President Sirisena said that power and corruption joined together and added that bribery, corruption, crime and drugs were the main challenges faced by developed and developing countries around the world.

President Sirisena recalled how he worked with a commitment to abolish the excessive powers vested in the executive presidency, fulfilling a central pledge given at the 2015 Presidential Election.

The President said that the establishment of the Independence Commissions and Commission to Investigate Bribery or Corruption and ensuring judicial independence were the victories achieved by the public of this country.

President Sirisena said that even though it was 25 years since the Bribery Commission had been established, that organisation did not have enough powers to eradicate fraud and bribery, and added that the 19th Amendment to the Constitution had enabled the establishment of a completely independent Bribery Commission.

The President said the Government was fully committed to moving forward together with international organisations led by the United Nations and he expected the cooperation and assistance of other countries to take legal action against criminals who indulged in corrupt practices and fraudulent deals while hiding in other countries.

The President said that although some corrupt politicians and government officials worked together to stall the anti-corruption program, he was determined to carry forward the anti-corruption drive regardless of any hurdle along this path.

Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption program of Indonesia, Laode M. Syarif, lauded the anti-corruption drive of President Sirisena. He pointed out that President Sirisena’s presence at the Global Expert Group Meeting on the Jakarta Principles reflected his determination to fight corruption and it would strengthen the global fight against corruption.

Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya, the Bribery Commission Chairman, former Justice T.B. Weerasuriya, Director General President’s Counsel Sarath Jayamanne and other commissioners, Head of the Anti-Corruption Economics Crimes branch of the United Nations Candice Weisch, Program Manager of the UNDP’s Global Anti-corruption Initiative, Malaysia’s Attorney-General and Anti-Corruption Chief Tan Sri Abu Kassim bin Mahomed, Secretary to the President Udaya. R. Seneviratne, former Secretary to the President Austin Fernando and representatives of civil society were present at the event.