President seeks transparency in bribery and corruption complaints

COLOMBO: President Mahinda Rajapakse insists on more transparency and efficiency in the conduct of inquiries into complaints of bribery and corruption pledges better facilities for the Bribery and Corruption Investigation Commission without any delay to achieve these objectives.

President Rajapakse gave this assurance when the retired Supreme Court Judge Amir Ismail, the Chairman of the Bribery and Corruption Investigation Commission, handed over the Commission's Progress Report for the year 2004 to the President yesterday.

According to a media release by the President's Office yesterday, the President further observed that the Commission's responsibility involves investigation of frauds and corruption on the part of State officers as well as the causes of their tendency towards bribery and corruption and emphasised the urgency of formulating and implementing measures more widely and intensively to check such tendencies.

The President further pointed out the importance of linkage with international organizations to retrieve people from corrupt practices as such linkage is applicable to raids against the drug menace and assured that necessary facilities such as personnel and vehicles and office equipment will be provided to the Commission early.

The officials of the Commission informed the President that there had not been a salary increase to the Commission's employees since 1994 and pointed out the need to allow officers attached to the Commission to serve it for at least five years.

The President instructed the Secretary to the President to take steps to secure the salary increases as recommended and pointed out the importance of preparing a review and progress report of the Commission once in two months and instructed President's Secretary to take steps soon to obtain membership in the Asia Pacific Organization relating to Bribery and Corruption.