(COLOMBO)- The Human Resources Manager of a private hotel in Kekirawa in north central province Sri Lanka was arrested for allegedly seeking a sexual bribe from a young female employee, officials said on Friday.
They said the suspect was the first case to be handled by the State Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) which did not have a mandate to investigate the private sector earlier.
The Commission said that the Anti-Corruption Act No. 09 of 2023 has empowered the Bribery Commission to address bribery in the private sector, overriding powers that previously applied only to bribery or corruption in the public sector.
Accordingly, the first raid on a bribery offense in the private sector was conducted on Friday (26) by officials with the approval of the Commission.
They arrested an accountant, who is also the Human Resources Manager of a private hotel, for allegedly soliciting a sexual bribe from a female employee.
The arrest was made based on a complaint filed by a resident of Mahavilacchiya.
The female employee, working in a private hotel, was promised full payment of 75 percent of the current service charges, along with arrangements for her employment to be confirmed by higher officials in the future.
Also, she was assured that necessary arrangements would be carried out to allow her to continue her work without any trouble.
In return, the accountant of the hotel allegedly brought her to a room in a private hotel in Habarana for sexual intercourse.
Bribery Commission officials subsequently arrested the suspect.
