The Morning: Sri Lanka: Tuesday, 26 May 2026.
The Commission to
Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has refused to
release information sought by The Daily Morning under a Right to Information
(RTI) request on complaints, investigations, court cases, and convictions
linked to corruption-related matters handled by the Commission between 2015 and
2026.
In a response dated 21 April, the CIABOC’s Additional Director and Designated Officer under the RTI Act, M R Y K Udawela said that the requested information “cannot be disclosed”. “The refusal is made in terms of Section 62(1) of the Anti Corruption Act, No. 09 of 2023, which restricts the release of certain categories of information. Accordingly, this public authority is not legally bound to provide the requested information,” the response stated.
Section 62(1) of the relevant Act states: “The Commission, the Director-General or any other officer or employee of the Commission or any person whose services are retained under Section 27 shall not be compelled to reveal the source of any information received under the provisions of this Act.”
The letter also advised The Daily Morning to refer to the official CIABOC website for annual progress reports and other publicly available information.
The RTI request had sought information on: the number of complaints received by the CIABOC from 1 January 2015 to 20 March 2026, the number of complaints investigated during that period, the number of investigations that resulted in court cases being filed, the number of cases concluded in court, the number of cases withdrawn by the Commission, and the number of cases that resulted in convictions.
The Daily Morning’s Deputy News Editor Buddhika Samaraweera who filed the information request, is in the process of appealing the denial to the RTI Commission.
In a response dated 21 April, the CIABOC’s Additional Director and Designated Officer under the RTI Act, M R Y K Udawela said that the requested information “cannot be disclosed”. “The refusal is made in terms of Section 62(1) of the Anti Corruption Act, No. 09 of 2023, which restricts the release of certain categories of information. Accordingly, this public authority is not legally bound to provide the requested information,” the response stated.
Section 62(1) of the relevant Act states: “The Commission, the Director-General or any other officer or employee of the Commission or any person whose services are retained under Section 27 shall not be compelled to reveal the source of any information received under the provisions of this Act.”
The letter also advised The Daily Morning to refer to the official CIABOC website for annual progress reports and other publicly available information.
The RTI request had sought information on: the number of complaints received by the CIABOC from 1 January 2015 to 20 March 2026, the number of complaints investigated during that period, the number of investigations that resulted in court cases being filed, the number of cases concluded in court, the number of cases withdrawn by the Commission, and the number of cases that resulted in convictions.
The Daily Morning’s Deputy News Editor Buddhika Samaraweera who filed the information request, is in the process of appealing the denial to the RTI Commission.
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