Prevention of Corruption Act to be amended

Amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act will be formulated enabling the Commission to Investigate Allegation of Bribery or Corruption to work freely and independently.

President Maithripala Sirisena says he would make every arrangement for the institutions which work for prevention of corruption, to work in a free and fair manner without any political influence.

He further said that the requests made by the Commission to Investigate Allegation of Bribery or Corruption will be presented to Parliament and necessary Cabinet approvals will be taken to implement it.

The president made these remarks at the concluding ceremony of the ?A Bribery and Corruption Free Country? walk held today at Independence Square.

The walk was?organized by Transparency International Sri Lanka and the Commission to Investigate Allegation of Bribery or Corruption, in line with the International Anti-Corruption Day.

The President noticed that this is the first time when a President of Sri Lanka is participating in an anti-corruption walk. He pointed out that former Governments did not have an ability to mark this day with the people and the organizations who work for the prevention of corruption.

?Today the people are enjoying the 19th Amendment to the Constitution brought about by the new Government they elected on January 08. Measures have been taken to free this country from bribery and corruption through this amendment, fulfilling the expectations of the people? the President said.

The Sri Lanka Anti-Corruption Integrity Award was presented posthumously to the late Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero and the former Editor of Ravaya newspaper Victor Ivan at the ceremony.

Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya, Ministers Sagala Rathnayaka, Malik Samarawickrama, Deputy Ministers Harsha de Silva, Karunarathne Paranawithana, Ajith P. Perera, MP Sunil Handunneththi, Chairman of the Commission to Investigate Allegation of Bribery or Corruption T. B. Weerasuriya and the Director General Dilrikshi Diaz Bandaranayake also participated in this event.