Posted by ONLANKA Information Desk on August 6, 2026 – 7:50 pm
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The Sri Lanka authorities has determined to maintain the asset and legal responsibility declarations of elected representatives open to the general public whereas amending the Anti-Corruption Act to strengthen privateness protections for others.
Chief of the Home and Minister Bimal Rathnayake introduced the choice in a particular assertion to Parliament at present (August 06).
He stated the proposed amendments to the Anti-Corruption Act would handle rising privateness considerations whereas sustaining transparency and public accountability for politicians and different public representatives.
Rathnayake defined that the Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2023 launched a serious reform requiring senior public officers, political leaders and different designated people to submit detailed declarations of their belongings and liabilities.
Initially, about 300 people, together with the President and senior political workplace holders, have been required to submit printed declarations.
Nevertheless, amendments launched in 2025 moved the declaration course of to a centralized digital system. This expanded the variety of individuals required to submit declarations to almost 160,000.
They embody public officers and different people legally required to offer monetary disclosures to the Fee to Examine Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.
Beneath the present regulation, the general public can entry all declarations submitted by means of the web system. Rathnayake described this as an necessary step in direction of better transparency and accountability.
Nevertheless, he stated considerations have elevated over the alleged misuse of data contained within the declarations by sure people and media-related actors.
The declarations can embody private monetary details about the particular person involved, in addition to particulars referring to relations and youngsters.
Rathnayake stated some data from asset declarations had been selectively extracted, distorted and publicly circulated in ways in which went in opposition to the unique function of the regulation.
Whereas describing the laws as a optimistic and democratic measure, he acknowledged that considerations had emerged about its impact on private privateness.
He stated the Anti-Corruption Fee had due to this fact determined to suggest amendments to the Act.
One of many primary proposals being thought-about is to limit unrestricted public entry to all asset and legal responsibility declarations at the moment out there by means of the web system.
Nevertheless, Rathnayake careworn that the federal government had made a coverage resolution that these restrictions wouldn’t apply to public representatives.
Subsequently, the asset and legal responsibility declarations of elected representatives, together with politicians, will stay publicly accessible even after the amendments are enacted.
He stated the federal government intends to guard the general public’s proper to look at the monetary disclosures of politicians whereas introducing safeguards for non-political people, together with public servants and others coated by the regulation.
The proposed amendments will distinguish between public representatives, who’re instantly accountable to voters, and different people whose private and household data might require better privateness safety.
