⚖️ TISL Challenges Proposed Anti-Corruption Amendments in Supreme Court

Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) has filed a Supreme Court petition challenging the government's proposed amendments to the Anti-Corruption Act, citing constitutional violations and policy regressions. • Core Legislation: Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya presented the bill on August 19, 2026, aiming to address operational bottlenecks, meet IMF requirements, and align with UN anti-corruption standards. • Proposed Strict Penalties: The bill introduces mandatory secondary fines up to 3x the value of corruptly acquired property/state losses and revokes unlawful non-monetary perks upon conviction. • Key Legal & Policy Concerns Raised by TISL: • Prosecutorial Oversight: Empowers the CIABOC Director-General to grant immunity to accomplices without requiring Magistrate authorization, eliminating judicial checks. • Asset Declarations Threshold: Raises the state-linked company shareholding threshold from 25% to 50% for mandatory asset disclosures, conflicting with the RTI Act. • Asset Hiding Loopholes: Repeals mandatory asset declarations for non-dependent household cohabitants, creating avenues to conceal illicit wealth. • Redaction & Civic Restrictions: Grants broad power to redact asset disclosures and criminalizes the public use of redacted disclosures (penalties up to LKR 100,000 fine and/or 1-year imprisonment), threatening investigative journalism and civic space. • Constitutional Demand: TISL states the contested clauses require a two-thirds parliamentary majority and a public referendum to become law.