Sri Lanka’s Anti-Corruption Event Fetes Man Charged With Corruption
December 9, 2016
The man who bribed and attempted to bribe media has been invited as the chief guest of today’s “Abiman Pranama Award of Apparition” by the Anti-corruption Front.
As Colombo Telegraph had exposed, in the context of searching for a “common Candidate” against 2015 Presidential Elections, on October 23rd 2014, the current Speaker and then the UNP Gampaha District Parliamentarian and Chairman of the UNP’s Leadership Council, Karu Jayasuriya, telephoned Colombo Telegraph editor and offered him a monthly payment of Rs 50,000/- ‘in appreciation of the work that Colombo Telegraph does’. The editor politely declined the offer. One week after the aforementioned phone call, Karu Jayasuriya had been given a lot of prominence in several news websites. Colombo Telegraph was therefore compelled to ask Karu Jayasuriya whether or not he had made a similar offer to those who run these websites ‘in appreciation of the work they do’ or for any other reason. He had never answered our queries. Media outlets even carried so-called online option polls and concluded that Jayasuriya was more popular than the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.
At today’s event, which celebrated “the UN International Anti-corruption Day,” the speaker Karu Jayasuriya was the chief guest and presented award of “Abiman Pranama Award of Appreciation ‘ to Lalith Ambanwel, Lasntha Ruhunage and Prasanna Vithange.
Speeking at the event President Sirisensa’s coordinating secretary Shiral Lakthilaka said that the politicians who were invited to this function were “දූශනයට රහසින්වත් සම්බන්ද නොවෙන දේශපාලනඥයින් විතරයි ” ( We invited only politicians who would not entertain corruption even in secret)
When asked who funded the event and how much was spent on it, Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon, an Advisor of the Anti-corruption Front said he did not know but promised to reveal sources and amounts tomorrow.
The theme for 2016 is “United against corruption for development, peace and security.”
Every year $1 trillion is paid in bribes while an estimated $2.6 trillion are stolen annually through corruption – a sum equivalent to more than 5 per cent of the global GDP. In developing countries, according to the United Nations Development Programme, funds lost to corruption are estimated at 10 times the amount of official development assistance.
Corruption is a serious crime that can undermine social and economic development in all societies. No country, region or community is immune. This year UNODC and UNDP have developed a joint global campaign, focusing on how corruption affects education, health, justice, democracy, prosperity and development.
The 2016 joint international campaign focuses on corruption as one of the biggest impediments to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“On International Anti-corruption Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to ending the deceit and dishonesty that threaten the 2030 Agenda and our efforts to achieve peace and prosperity for all on a healthy planet.” said UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.
