TISL regrets Presidential Secretariat's appeal against asset disclosure of PM

Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) has expressed regret over the appeal made by the Presidential Secretariat against the Right to Information Commission's (RTIC) directive to disclose the asset declaration of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The TISL is surprised by the move given the President's New Year pledge to fight corruption and the remarks made against the Prime Minister last year, Executive Director of the TISL, Asoka Obeysekere said.

"Having credible self-declared information in the hands of the public is an essential ingredient presently missing in the fight against corruption” he added.

TISL filed its first application in February 2017 calling for the Prime Minister's asset disclosure of 2015 and 2016.

However, due to the refusal by the President's office to make the disclosure, TISL had then appealed to the RTIC following which a ruling was issued in favour of making the disclosure.

Following the RTIC's ruling, TISL issued a statement recognising the Presidential Secretariat's right to appeal against the verdict while also noting that such a move would undermine the President's pledge to uphold transparency and the government's commitment to ensure the public's right to access asset declarations.