📢 Important Reminder for Public Officials – Submit Your Asset Declaration by June 30th! 🇱🇰

⭕️ Under the Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2023, all designated public officials and government servants are required to submit their Declaration of Assets and Liabilities on or before June 30th.

⭕️ his obligation applies to a wide range of individuals—from the President, Prime Minister, Ministers, and Members of Parliament, to Provincial Governors, Local Authority members, public servants, judges, and many more.

⭕️ The declaration must include not only the assets of the individual but also those of their spouse, dependent children, parents, and any other “covered person” as defined in the Act.

⭕️ While this new law is a much-needed update to the previous legislation, and a welcome step forward in the fight against corruption, the current declaration form issued by the Bribery Commission has several shortcomings. These include a lack of clear official guidelines, vague definitions, and inconsistencies in practical implementation.

⭕️ For instance, the current declaration requires officials to report trivial personal expenses such as a parent or a maid working at your house buying clothes, going on a trip, or hosting a party, due to the lack of specific thresholds and clarity. These gaps not only burden honest public servants but also create loopholes that could be exploited in court if declarations are ever challenged.

⭕️ Asset declarations should be user-friendly, practical, and easy to complete, especially for law-abiding public servants with low to modest incomes. If the goal is to catch major wrongdoers, the system must avoid placing undue strain on everyone else.

You don’t catch big fish with a net full of tiny holes—you end up damaging the whole net.

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