Committee on Public Finance approves salary proposal for Bribery Commission

2026-03-13 - 15:46

The Committee on Public Finance has granted approval for the salary proposal relating to the officers and staff of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. This approval was granted when the committee met in Parliament on the 10th under the chairmanship of Member of Parliament Dr Harsha de Silva. Speaking at the meeting, the Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, Mr Ranga Dissanayake, stated that under the Anti-Corruption Act passed in 2023, the Commission now operates as a new institution. He pointed out that provisions have been made for the Commission itself to appoint the officers and staff required for its operations, while their remuneration and service conditions must be determined with the concurrence of the Minister of Finance and with the approval of Parliament. Mr Dissanayake also expressed regret that these matters had been delayed for nearly two years following the enactment of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 03 of 2023. The Ministry of Finance, through the Department of Management Services, has approved 971 positions required for the Commission’s staff as well as their salary structures, including special allowances. The committee also drew attention to the fact that the salaries proposed for legal officers attached to the Commission are lower than those of legal officers attached to the Attorney General’s Department. However, in order to prevent further delays and to proceed with the recruitment process, the committee granted its approval for the proposal. The committee further emphasised the need to place the institution on an appropriate salary scale in the future in order to strengthen it as an effective organisation. It was also noted that a proposal regarding the salary scales of the Chairman, Commissioners and the Director General of the Commission will be presented in due course. The committee stated that, as previously recommended by the Committee on Public Finance, it expects those salary scales to be aligned with the salary scales of judges of the Court of Appeal. The committee further pointed out that it is reasonable for the staff, commissioners and the Director General of the Commission to receive salaries higher than the standard public sector scale, given the highly sensitive nature of the work carried out by the Commission, the inability of its officials to engage in any other private income-generating activities or consultancy, and the potential for conflicts of interest. The Director General also stated that it is problematic for the Commission to operate solely from Colombo. He noted that investigations and raids across the country currently have to be conducted from Colombo, and that witnesses must also be brought to Colombo to give evidence, which poses practical difficulties. For this reason, he said there are plans to establish offices at the district level in the future, with the initial intention of setting up at least nine provincial offices.