Rising concern over government officials turning to bribes

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya   
In a troubling trend, government officials in Sri Lanka have recently found themselves under scrutiny for alleged involvement in bribery.   
Just a day after the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption (CIABOC) arrested an immigration officer over a bribery case, another arrest followed—this time of a Labour Department official.   
The officer, attached to the Colombo District Secretariat, allegedly accepted a bribe of Rs. 250,000 from a complainant who was threatened with legal action unless the sum was paid.   
The Commission said that the official, attached to the Colombo District Secretariat Office (Western), was arrested following a complaint filed by an individual from Mount Lavinia.   
According to the complaint, the official demanded a bribe in exchange for not taking legal action against the complainant’s company for failing to increase employee salaries by Rs. 5,000.   
The suspect had allegedly told the complainant that the salary increase and the payment of ETF funds to the government were necessary. 
The official had also claimed that the company had a history of violations and had suggested that legal action could be avoided with the help of senior officials. The official also promised to return investigation documents to the complainant if he paid the bribe.   
On Monday, an immigration officer at the Sri Lanka Immigration Detention Camp in Welisara was arrested for demanding a Rs. 500,000 bribe to release an individual detained for a visa violation.   
On January 15, a Sergeant attached to the Matugama Police Station was also arrested for accepting a bribe of Rs. 3,000 from a lorry driver.   
After discovering the driver’s heavy-vehicle licence had expired, the Sergeant allegedly took the licence and demanded a Rs. 5,000 bribe to avoid legal action. The officer was arrested while accepting Rs. 3,000 of the bribe.