SL's anti-corruption efforts not rhetorical: Harsha

4 November 2015 11:09 am

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Harsha de Silva said the Sri Lankan Government under the leadership of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had taken several measures to prevent corruption, to seek out stolen assets and to build the capacity for curbing corruption and bribery in an effective, comprehensive and result-oriented manner.

At a high level segment of the Conference of State Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption held in the Russian City of St. Petersburgh, he outlined the independent institutions that have been put in place, especially following the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, as well as other investigative mechanisms in line with the mandate received by the Government at both the presidential and parliamentary elections.

“In a country where anti-corruption was only a rhetorical commitment under the previous government, the measures which have now been taken represented a paradigm shift aimed at contributing towards a culture of good governance. The National Unity Government is encouraging civil society and the business sector to assist in combating corruption,” Dr. de Silva said.

Participating in the 6th Session of the Conference hosted by the Russian Government, Dr. de Silva also held several bilateral consultations on the sidelines of the meeting.

The Sri Lanka delegation included Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Vienna, A.L.A. Azeez; Commission to Investigate Bribery or Corruption Director General Dilrukshi Wickramasinghe; Stolen Assets Recovery Task Force President J.C. Weliamuna; Additional Solicitor General Wasantha Bandara and the Minister in the Sri Lankan Embassy in Moscow, Samantha Pathirana.