October 19, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka has formally enacted amendments to its anti-corruption legislation following Speaker Dr Jagath Wickramaratne’s endorsement of the relevant Bill, according to the Parliament Communications Department.
The legislation has now become the Anti-Corruption (Amendment) Act, No. 25 of 2026, marking a further step in efforts to improve the country’s legal mechanisms for preventing and addressing corruption.
The Bill was initially tabled in Parliament on 19 August 2026 by Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Dr Harini Amarasuriya. Following its introduction, parliamentary deliberations continued, culminating in the Second Reading debate on 8 October 2026. Members subsequently approved the measure with amendments, without requiring a division.
The new law is intended to resolve a range of practical and legal difficulties that emerged during the implementation of the Anti-Corruption Act, No. 9 of 2023. These include ambiguities in interpretation, administrative shortcomings, technical deficiencies and discrepancies between the Sinhala and English versions of the legislation.
Another key objective is to make corruption investigations and prosecutions more effective by addressing obstacles encountered by the authorities in pursuing alleged offences. The amendments also seek to improve the operational efficiency of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), enabling it to carry out its responsibilities more effectively.
The revised framework further provides for a more streamlined approach to the submission of declarations of assets and liabilities through a centralised electronic system. The digital mechanism is expected to simplify the declaration process and support more efficient management of the information submitted.
The amendments are intended to strengthen institutional accountability and improve the practical enforcement of anti-corruption laws. Their effectiveness, however, will depend on consistent implementation, efficient administration and the capacity of the relevant institutions to act on reported offences.
With the Speaker’s formal endorsement completed, the legislation has cleared its final parliamentary stage and entered the statute book as the Anti-Corruption (Amendment) Act, No. 25 of 2026.
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