Sri Lankan parliament on Wednesday (July 19) approved a crucial anti-corruption bill without a vote. The bill passed by the 225-member parliament of the South Asian nation is aimed at improving governance in the crisis-hit country. The process of passage of the bill is part of requirements linked to USD 2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"The bill is passed with amendments," Sri Lanka parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena told lawmakers after more than two dozen pages of amendments were included into the draft legislation during the morning session.

Last year, Sri Lanka experienced an unprecedented economic crisis in more than 70 years after foreign exchange reserves of the country became dangerously low. This forced the island nation to default on its foreign debt. This made inflation to increase dramatically. The currency of the country depreciated rapidly.

Watch | Sri Lanka to consider trade in Indian rupee

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/sri-lanka-to-consider-trade-in-indian-rupee-616156/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

There appeared to be some sign of hope after Sri Lanka locked down a USD 2.9 billion programme with the IMF in March. This included fresh anti-corruption legislation in order to strengthen governance and to bring it in line with the&nbsp;United Nations Convention Against Corruption.

This is the first time an IMF programme has been linked to such a measure in Asia.

<h2>'I am Ranil Wickremesinghe, not Ranil Rajapaksa'</h2>

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe made an assertive statement. Wickremesinghe, who became president of the country after the economic crisis, sought to distance himself from former president Mahinda Rajapaksa. Wickremesinghe was speaking with representatives of Tamil political parties when he made the statement.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/i-am-ranil-wickremesinghe-not-ranil-rajapaksa-asserts-sri-lanka-president-617364">'I am Ranil Wickremesinghe, not Ranil Rajapaksa', asserts Sri Lanka president before India visit</a>

The statement from Wickremesinghe came just a day ahead of his trip to India which had helped Sri Lanka stabilise in the initial aftermath of the economic crisis by extending monetary and other help.

Sri Lankan president was speaking with Tamil political parties who have urged him to implement the 13th Amendment.&nbsp;

The 13th Amendment is the outcome of an agreement reached between India and Sri Lanka following the deal of 1987. It talks about the devolution of land and police powers to the provinces in Sri Lanka.

Wickremesinghe said that the 13th Amendment will be fully implemented but without police powers.

Sri Lanka, a Sinhalese-majority nation has a minority Tamil population, especially in the country's north and east.

The tension between the community even resulted in a 30-year military campaign during which hardline sections among the Sri Lankan Tamils formed LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). The LTTE ran a military campaign for a separate Tamil nation. LTTE collapsed in 2009 after a decisive operation by the Sri Lankan military that saw the leader of LTTE Prabhakaran getting killed.

(With inputs from agencies)

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Sri Lankan parliament on Wednesday (July 19) approved a crucial anti-corruption bill without a vote. The bill passed by the 225-member parliament of the South Asian nation is aimed at improving governance in the crisis-hit country.

Sri Lankan parliament on Wednesday (July 19) approved a crucial anti-corruption bill without a vote. The bill passed by the 225-member parliament of the South Asian nation is aimed at improving governance in the crisis-hit country. The process of passage of the bill is part of requirements linked to USD 2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). "The bill is passed with amendments," Sri Lanka parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena told lawmakers after more than two dozen pages of amendments were included into the draft legislation during the morning session. Last year, Sri Lanka experienced an unprecedented economic crisis in more than 70 years after foreign exchange reserves of the country became dangerously low. This forced the island nation to default on its foreign debt. This made inflation to increase dramatically. The currency of the country depreciated rapidly. Watch | Sri Lanka to consider trade in Indian rupee × There appeared to be some sign of hope after Sri Lanka locked down a USD 2.9 billion programme with the IMF in March. This included fresh anti-corruption legislation in order to strengthen governance and to bring it in line with the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. This is the first time an IMF programme has been linked to such a measure in Asia. 'I am Ranil Wickremesinghe, not Ranil Rajapaksa' Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe made an assertive statement. Wickremesinghe, who became president of the country after the economic crisis, sought to distance himself from former president Mahinda Rajapaksa. Wickremesinghe was speaking with representatives of Tamil political parties when he made the statement. Also Read | 'I am Ranil Wickremesinghe, not Ranil Rajapaksa', asserts Sri Lanka president before India visit The statement from Wickremesinghe came just a day ahead of his trip to India which had helped Sri Lanka stabilise in the initial aftermath of the economic crisis by extending monetary and other help. Sri Lankan president was speaking with Tamil political parties who have urged him to implement the 13th Amendment. The 13th Amendment is the outcome of an agreement reached between India and Sri Lanka following the deal of 1987. It talks about the devolution of land and police powers to the provinces in Sri Lanka. Wickremesinghe said that the 13th Amendment will be fully implemented but without police powers. Sri Lanka, a Sinhalese-majority nation has a minority Tamil population, especially in the country's north and east. The tension between the community even resulted in a 30-year military campaign during which hardline sections among the Sri Lankan Tamils formed LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). The LTTE ran a military campaign for a separate Tamil nation. LTTE collapsed in 2009 after a decisive operation by the Sri Lankan military that saw the leader of LTTE Prabhakaran getting killed. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Sri Lankan parliament passes anti-corruption bill, fulfills IMF condition

Sri Lanka has gazetted a new anti-corruption bill that is in line with the conditions listed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) before approving the $2.9 billion loan to bail out the economic crisis-hit nation.

A gazette was published on Thursday on the order of Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, listing some of the objectives of the proposed act.

These rules, according to the act, are meant to prevent and eradicate bribery and corruption in order to meet the just requirements of the general welfare of a democratic society; enhance transparency in governance; strengthen integrity of governance and increase accountability.

The provisions of the act, once passed, would pave way for the formation of an independent commission which will be mandated to conduct preliminary inquiries and investigations into, and to prosecute against, bribery, corruption, offences relating to declaration of assets and liabilities and associated offences.

If the draft bill is enacted, it will enable the authorities to introduce an effective system for the declaration of assets and liabilities in order to prevent illicit enrichment by public officials, promote inter-agency cooperation and international collaboration in preventing bribery and corruption.

It will also give effect to obligations under the United Nations Convention against corruption and any other International Convention relating to the prevention of corruption to which Sri Lanka is a party and recognise international standards and best practices in order to establish a culture of integrity in Sri Lanka.

Before approving the loan, the IMF had urged Sri Lanka to reduce corruption by improving fiscal transparency and public financial management and introducing a stronger anti-corruption legal framework.

On April 2, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the Sri Lankan government will enact key points of its agreement with the IMF into law upon parliamentary approval, one of which would be new anti-corruption legislation which would likely be enacted in May.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

Sri Lanka has gazetted a new anti-corruption bill that is in line with the conditions listed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) before approving the $2.9 billion loan to bail out the economic crisis-hit nation.

Sri Lanka has gazetted a new anti-corruption bill that is in line with the conditions listed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) before approving the $2.9 billion loan to bail out the economic crisis-hit nation. A gazette was published on Thursday on the order of Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, listing some of the objectives of the proposed act. These rules, according to the act, are meant to prevent and eradicate bribery and corruption in order to meet the just requirements of the general welfare of a democratic society; enhance transparency in governance; strengthen integrity of governance and increase accountability. The provisions of the act, once passed, would pave way for the formation of an independent commission which will be mandated to conduct preliminary inquiries and investigations into, and to prosecute against, bribery, corruption, offences relating to declaration of assets and liabilities and associated offences. If the draft bill is enacted, it will enable the authorities to introduce an effective system for the declaration of assets and liabilities in order to prevent illicit enrichment by public officials, promote inter-agency cooperation and international collaboration in preventing bribery and corruption. It will also give effect to obligations under the United Nations Convention against corruption and any other International Convention relating to the prevention of corruption to which Sri Lanka is a party and recognise international standards and best practices in order to establish a culture of integrity in Sri Lanka. Before approving the loan, the IMF had urged Sri Lanka to reduce corruption by improving fiscal transparency and public financial management and introducing a stronger anti-corruption legal framework. On April 2, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the Sri Lankan government will enact key points of its agreement with the IMF into law upon parliamentary approval, one of which would be new anti-corruption legislation which would likely be enacted in May. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Sri Lanka gazettes new anti-corruption bill to comply with IMF's 2.9 billion loan deal

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Jammu and Kashmir has unearthed a $54,000 ''Biryani'' scam against the former Jammu Kashmir Football Association (JFKA) office bearers. The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau&nbsp;has filed an FIR against JKFA officials for misappropriation of funds of around $57,000 received from the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council (JKSC).

The initial enquiry conducted by the ACB shows the funds sanctioned by the government of India through JKSC&nbsp;to organise tournaments like Khelo India and Mufti Memorial Gold Cup were not utilised properly. A complaint was registered by a local Kashmiri Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat of Sopore alleging that funds allotted by JKSC and other government and semi-government agencies, for conducting football activities across J&amp;K were misused.&nbsp;

Biryani as refreshment for football players

“During the investigation, it was found that members of J&amp;K Football Association showed an amount of $54,000 paid to Mughal Darbar, Polo View Srinagar (a famous restaurant in Srinagar) for purchase of biryani as refreshment for the teams. But no such refreshment has ever been given to any team in any district of Kashmir province. '' said an ACB official. ''The bills raised and placed on record in this regard have been found to be fake.'' ACB stated in the FIR.

ACB during the probe also found out that the bills produced bore the same handwriting, thus being proved forged. The amount has been drawn by preparing false and fabricated bills by the J&amp;K Football Association members.&nbsp;

“Similarly, an amount of $1800&nbsp;was shown paid to Hindustan Photostat for various activities, which during inquiry also were found to be fake and prepared by resorting to forgery. An amount of $1300 was shown paid to Jan Hardware Tengpora by-pass Srinagar which was found non-existing,” the contents of the FIR read.

Read More:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/kashmiri-calligrapher-writes-quran-on-500-metres-scroll-creates-a-record-502918">Kashmiri calligrapher writes Quran on 500 metres scroll, creates a record</a>

ACB has registered FIR 30/22 under Sections 5(1) (c), 5(1) (d) read with Section 5(2) of the JK PC Act Svt 2006 and Section 465, 467, 468, 471, and 120-B of the Ranbir Penal Code in Police Station ACB, SBG Srinagar against JKFA officials including its president Zamir Thakur, treasurer S S Bunty, chief executive S A Hameed, and member Fayaz Ahmad besides others.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau in Jammu and Kashmir has come down heavily on corruption in the Union territory. In the last few weeks, half a dozen government officials have been arrested by ACB concerning corruption cases. The arrests come under the zero-tolerance policy for corruption of the Modi government.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE:&nbsp;

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1  width=&quot;100%&quot;"></iframe>

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Jammu and Kashmir has unearthed a $54,000 ''Biryani'' scam against the former Jammu Kashmir Football Association (JFKA) office bearers.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Jammu and Kashmir has unearthed a $54,000 ''Biryani'' scam against the former Jammu Kashmir Football Association (JFKA) office bearers. The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau has filed an FIR against JKFA officials for misappropriation of funds of around $57,000 received from the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council (JKSC). The initial enquiry conducted by the ACB shows the funds sanctioned by the government of India through JKSC to organise tournaments like Khelo India and Mufti Memorial Gold Cup were not utilised properly. A complaint was registered by a local Kashmiri Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat of Sopore alleging that funds allotted by JKSC and other government and semi-government agencies, for conducting football activities across J&K were misused. Biryani as refreshment for football players “During the investigation, it was found that members of J&K Football Association showed an amount of $54,000 paid to Mughal Darbar, Polo View Srinagar (a famous restaurant in Srinagar) for purchase of biryani as refreshment for the teams. But no such refreshment has ever been given to any team in any district of Kashmir province. '' said an ACB official. ''The bills raised and placed on record in this regard have been found to be fake.'' ACB stated in the FIR. ACB during the probe also found out that the bills produced bore the same handwriting, thus being proved forged. The amount has been drawn by preparing false and fabricated bills by the J&K Football Association members. “Similarly, an amount of $1800 was shown paid to Hindustan Photostat for various activities, which during inquiry also were found to be fake and prepared by resorting to forgery. An amount of $1300 was shown paid to Jan Hardware Tengpora by-pass Srinagar which was found non-existing,” the contents of the FIR read. Read More: Kashmiri calligrapher writes Quran on 500 metres scroll, creates a record ACB has registered FIR 30/22 under Sections 5(1) (c), 5(1) (d) read with Section 5(2) of the JK PC Act Svt 2006 and Section 465, 467, 468, 471, and 120-B of the Ranbir Penal Code in Police Station ACB, SBG Srinagar against JKFA officials including its president Zamir Thakur, treasurer S S Bunty, chief executive S A Hameed, and member Fayaz Ahmad besides others. The Anti-Corruption Bureau in Jammu and Kashmir has come down heavily on corruption in the Union territory. In the last few weeks, half a dozen government officials have been arrested by ACB concerning corruption cases. The arrests come under the zero-tolerance policy for corruption of the Modi government. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

'Biryani Scam' unearthed by ACB in Kashmir. $54,000 fraud by ex-football association office bearers

In Bulgaria, a newly founded anti-corruption party's leading in parliamentary elections. At least, four exit polls suggest a narrow lead, the data suggests increased chances of an end to a political deadlock in the European Union states.

Bulgaria: Anti-corruption party leads in exit polls, gains edge with 26% voters