Politician asset declarations will remain public as Sri Lanka amends its anti-corruption law to protect officials’ family privacy.
The government will preserve public access to politician asset declarations while limiting access to some officials’ records, Leader of the House Bimal Ratnayake told Parliament on August 6.
Explaining proposed amendments to the Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2023, Ratnayake said elected representatives belong to a different category from ordinary public officers.
He stressed that citizens retain the right to examine the assets and liabilities of those holding political office.
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The minister said the declaration system previously covered about 300 senior officials. Following digitalisation under the 2023 law, that number has expanded to roughly 160,000 people.
However, he said the wider publication of information had created privacy concerns. According to Ratnayake, some individuals and media organisations had selectively used details involving officials’ children and relatives, causing harassment.
“Some media institutions distort the information included on the Bribery Commission’s website and harass individuals,” he told Parliament.
Ratnayake said the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption had proposed restrictions to protect the privacy of government officials.
However, the Cabinet decided those limits should not cover elected representatives.
“We will affirm the public’s right to examine the assets of public representatives and their relatives at any time,” he said.
The proposed changes would therefore distinguish between politicians and ordinary public officials. While certain personal information belonging to officials would receive stronger protection, politician asset declarations would remain open to public scrutiny.
Ratnayake said the government intends to protect legitimate privacy without reducing political accountability.
He added that the amendments should strengthen financial transparency among elected representatives while preventing misuse of family information involving other public servants.
