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Public survey and report claim police department as most corrupt
Colombo, Sept. 26 (Daily Mirror) - According to a recent report by Transparency International Sri Lanka on corruption in the private to public sectors, the findings states that Sri Lankan police actively engage in corruption, such as demanding personal items free of charge and helping the finance sector by placing undue pressure on their clients.
The report quotes a respondent who was a part of the research saying, “The police sometimes visit our restaurants at night and call and ask for food and drink to be sent out to their vehicle. If we fail to do so, they harass our patrons, stopping every vehicle leaving the premises. However, if the police are obliged, they turn a blind eye even when our patrons violate traffic rules.”
The report also says that “Respondents alleged that some companies within the finance sector may obtain the support of the police or army to carry out their recovery operations, which places undue pressure on the client. In addition to being unethical, this also involves some level of payment to the police. Other respondents alleged that there is the potential for corruption to occur when companies must obtain security clearance from the police to set up new branches. It was alleged that there is usually an expectation of a payment to grant such clearances.”
Addressing corruption by Public Health Officers (PHI), the report says that respondents alleged that “The PHI often visits our restaurants and hotels with their family and expects a meal worth LKR 30,000 - 40,000 to be provided free of charge. Failure to provide them with this gratification will result in them unfairly penalising the establishment or imposing fines on false grounds.”
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) Chairman Neil Iddawela, addressing a seminar in Colombo on Thursday, said the survey placed the Police at number one, followed by politicians and the Customs Department. Other institutions highlighted by the public included the Department of Immigration and Emigration, schools and the Education Ministry, the Land Registry, Provincial Councils, the Foreign Employment Bureau, Divisional Secretariats, and the Registrar General’s Department.
He also noted that while many institutions were cited, five were identified as having the greatest impact on the economy: Customs, the Inland Revenue Department and provincial revenue offices, the Excise Department, the Immigration and Emigration Department, and the Department of Motor Traffic. He added that agencies such as the National Gem and Jewellery Authority and the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau also enabled financial misconduct and money laundering.
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