NO RESTRICTIONS | Politicians' Asset Declarations to Stay Public

COLOMBO (News 1st); The government has decided to retain public access to the asset and liability declarations of elected representatives while moving ahead with amendments to Sri Lanka's Anti-Corruption Act, Parliament was informed today.

Making a special statement in Parliament, Leader of the House and Minister Bimal Rathnayake said the proposed amendments to the Anti-Corruption Act would seek to address growing concerns over privacy while preserving transparency and public accountability for politicians and other public representatives.

Rathnayake explained that the Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2023 introduced a significant reform by requiring senior public officials, political leaders and other designated individuals to submit detailed declarations of assets and liabilities. Initially, approximately 300 individuals, including the President and senior political office holders, were required to make such declarations in printed form.

However, following subsequent amendments introduced in 2025, the declaration process was digitized and transferred to a centralized electronic system. As a result, the number of individuals required to submit asset and liability declarations expanded dramatically to nearly 160,000 persons, including public officials and other categories of individuals required by law to provide disclosures to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.

Under the existing provisions governing public access, all declarations submitted through the system can be accessed by the public, a measure that Rathnayake described as a major step towards transparency and accountability.

However, the Minister said there have been increasing concerns that the information is being misused by certain individuals and media-related actors. He noted that the declarations often contain not only personal financial information relating to the individual concerned but also details relating to family members and children.

According to Rathnayake, some asset declarations have been selectively extracted, distorted and circulated publicly in ways that undermine the original objectives of the legislation. While describing the law as a positive and democratic initiative, he acknowledged that concerns have emerged regarding its impact on personal privacy.

He said it was in response to these concerns that the Anti-Corruption Commission decided to propose amendments to the legislation.

The Minister explained that one of the key proposals under consideration is to limit unrestricted public access to all asset and liability declarations currently available through the online system.

However, Rathnayake stressed that the government has taken a policy decision that such restrictions should NOT apply to public representatives.

As a result, the asset and liability declarations of elected representatives, including politicians, will continue to remain accessible to the public even after the amendments are enacted.

He said the government intends to preserve the public's right to scrutinize the financial disclosures of politicians while introducing safeguards to protect the privacy of non-political individuals, including public servants and others covered by the law.

According to Rathnayake, the proposed amendments will therefore distinguish between public representatives, who remain accountable to the electorate, and other categories of individuals whose personal information may require greater privacy protection.