All stakeholders including representatives of government entities including the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), Sri Lanka Police, Auditor General’s Department, Election Monitoring Bodies, Non-Governmental Organisations, journalists and members of civil society organizations who attended a stakeholders meeting organised by Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) unanimously suggested that CIABOC be designated as the oversight body for campaign finance irregularities
TISL organised the stakeholder meeting on Wednesday (09) to facilitate a comprehensive dialogue on the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act No.03 of 2023 to explore potential avenues for collaboration in advocating necessary legislative amendments.
Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) Manjula Gajanayake said that it was vital to avoid conflicts of interest between public entities when implementing their mandates.
He said that it was a widely accepted principle that the entity responsible for implementing a project or programme should not be tasked with assessing its performance. Therefore, to ensure the effective implementation of the campaign expenditure law, it would be appropriate to assign prosecutorial powers to an entity outside the Election Commission of Sri Lanka.
Suggesting that the CIABOC be designated as the oversight body the election monitor said that the powers granted under the new Act No. 09 of 2023, provided sufficient authority for CIABOC to take on such a role.
He reiterated that a proactive approach, shown by the current Commissioner General of CIABOC, further supported the idea of entrusting this responsibility to the Commission. “Regardless of past leadership challenges, the institution itself is well-positioned to carry out this oversight function effectively” he added.
Text and pictures by PRIYAN DE SILVA