Several new amendments are to be made to the newly proposed Bribery or Corruption Investigation Act.
According to the new amendments, if a suspect facing bribery charges fully and truthfully discloses all the information he knows about the relevant offense, the Director General of the Commission for the Investigation of Allegations of Bribery or Corruption will have the power not to charge or prosecute him.
The new amendment to the Bribery or Corruption Investigation Act No. 9 of 2023 has made changes to certain sections of the Act.
Among the key sections to be amended, it is reported that Section 67 of the Act will be amended to enable the Director General to withdraw cases pending in Magistrates’ Courts.
The new amendments also propose to recover the value of any property acquired or converted through corruption and to make illegal any grant, appointment, benefit or advantage obtained by a person through corruption from the date of conviction.
In addition, the new amendments also provide for the appointment of officers and employees of the Provincial Public Service or the Police Force to the Commission on a temporary or permanent basis.
Furthermore, Section 2 of the Bribery or Corruption Investigation Act, No. 9 of 2023 is to be amended and the proposed amendment for the same will change the circumstances relating to obtaining copies of the declarations of assets and liabilities furnished by a person to the Commission.
Accordingly, it is unlawful to use a revised copy so obtained for any purpose other than to produce it before a court or other officer. A person who commits such an offence shall, if convicted in a Magistrate’s Court, be liable to a fine of one hundred thousand rupees or to imprisonment for one year or to both.