Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2017-10-10

Amendment to the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Law

- The persons dealing with the needs of the general public should adhere to the tenets of honesty, integrity and transparency. In terms of the Declaration of Assets Law, No.1 of 1975, such persons should periodically declare his/her assets and liabilities within Sri Lanka or outside the country, and the law also provides for investigations to be conducted upon complaints made against a person to whom the law applies.

Accordingly, where a person fails to make a declaration on his/her assets and liabilities which he is required to make, or makes false information in such declaration and fails to give additional information when necessary and in such situations, such person is found guilty and is liable only to a fine of not exceeding Rs.1,000/- or/and to an imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year. As such, the proposal made by Hon. (Mrs.) Thalatha Atukorala, the Minister of Justice, to instruct the Legal Draftsman to draft amending legislation to increase the fine up to Rs.100,000/- taking into consideration the present day needs, was approved by the Cabinet.