News
CCC to weaponize private sector with one of the most important anti-corruption tools in democracy – RTI
Creating awareness and engaging the private sector on one of the most important anti-corruption tools in a democracy, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce will conduct a webinar on ‘The Right to Information and the Private Sector’ on Tuesday (18).
The webinar is conducted in collaboration with Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL), the Sri Lankan chapter of Transparency International (TI), the leading global movement against corruption. TISL was a strong advocate for the creation of a RTI law in Sri Lanka for many years, and has since its enactment been providing training and assistance to public authorities, civil society, and the general public on RTI.
As RTI is one of the most important anti-corruption tools which allows citizens and businesses to access information held by public authorities, the webinar will highlight the salient points of the Right to Information (RTI) Act of 2016, in which the private sector has been identified as public authorities liable to respond to RTI requests in certain, specific instances.
The session will offer insights into the benefits of RTI, including how the private sector can proactively utilise it to ensure greater transparency and enhance positive public perception as entities committed to high standards of corporate disclosure and integrity, while also using it to address internal operational concerns.
The webinar will be conducted by leading experts in the fields of anti-corruption and governance, trade and policy development, and legal affairs. Transparency International Sri Lanka Deputy Executive Director Sankitha Gunaratne, and Verité Research, Research Director Subhashini Abeysinghe will present the session, which will be moderated by Mokshini Jayamanne, Attorney-at-Law.
The corporate partners for the webinar are London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and Hutch.
The webinar will be conducted from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on 18 January via MS Teams.
The Colombo Stock Exchange (GL 12) has contributed LKR 25 million to the Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund.
The cheque was handed over to the Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake by the Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange, Dimuthu Abeyesekera, the Chief Executive Officer Rajeeva Bandaranaike and Senior Vice Chairman Kusal Nissanka at the Presidential Secretariat.
News
Karu argues against scrapping MPs’ pension as many less fortunate members entered Parliament after ’56
Former Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressing concerns over the proposed abolition of MPs’ pensions.The letter was sent in his capacity as Patron of the Former Parliamentarians’ Caucus.
In his letter, Jayasuriya noted that at the time of Sri Lanka’s independence, political participation was largely limited to an educated, affluent land-owning elite. However, he said a significant social transformation took place after 1956, enabling ordinary citizens to enter politics.
He warned that under current conditions, removing parliamentary pensions would effectively confine politics to the wealthy, business interests, individuals engaged in illicit income-generating activities, and well-funded political parties. Such a move, he said, would discourage honest social workers and individuals of modest means from entering public life.
Jayasuriya also pointed out that while a small number of former MPs, including himself, use their pensions for social and charitable purposes, the majority rely on the pension as a primary source of income.
He urged the President to give due consideration to the matter and take appropriate action, particularly as the government prepares to draft a new constitution.The Bill seeking to abolish pensions for Members of Parliament was presented to Parliament on 07 January by Minister of Justice and National Integration Dr. Harshana Nanayakkara.
Five suspects, including former Minister Johnston Fernando and his two sons, who were arrested by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), were further remanded until 30 January by the Wattala Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
The former Minister’s , sons Johan Fernando and Jerome Kenneth Fernando, and two others, were arrested in connection with the alleged misuse of a Sathosa vehicle during Fernando’s tenure as Minister.
Investigations are currently underway into the alleged misuse of state property, including a lorry belonging to Lanka Sathosa, which reportedly caused a significant financial loss to the state.
In connection with the same incident, Indika Ratnamalala, who served as the Transport Manager of Sathosa during
Fernando’s tenure as Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade, was arrested on 04 January.
After being produced before the Wattala Magistrate’s Court, he was ordered to be remanded in custody until 09 January.The former Sathosa Transport Manager was remanded on charges of falsifying documents.
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