The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has revealed that 84 individuals were arrested last year for accepting bribes, following a series of 130 raids conducted across Sri Lanka between January 1 and December 31, 2025. The figures, disclosed in the Commission’s annual report, paint a troubling picture of corruption embedded within state institutions, particularly the Sri Lanka Police, which accounted for the largest share of arrests.
According to the CIABOC report, 30 police officers were arrested in connection with bribery allegations, making the force the most heavily implicated institution in the raids. The arrested officers included 13 police sergeants, nine constables, four sub-inspectors, and two chief inspectors, underscoring that corruption extended through various levels of the police hierarchy. The scale of the arrests has raised serious concerns about the integrity of law enforcement and the extent to which corruption may have undermined public trust.
Beyond the police, the CIABOC report highlighted that bribery was also prevalent across several other government bodies. Eleven individuals from institutions affiliated with the Ministry of Justice were arrested, while five officers from the Department of Agricultural and Public Services were detained. The report further noted that three Grama Niladharis and three officials from Pradeshiya Sabhas were also implicated in bribery cases. These arrests suggest that corruption has spread beyond law enforcement into administrative and civic bodies that interact directly with citizens, potentially impacting public service delivery at the grassroots level.
In addition to the 84 arrests made during the raids, the CIABOC said that another 56 individuals were arrested as a result of ongoing investigations conducted by the Commission throughout 2025. The list of those detained included high-profile figures such as former ministers, ministry secretaries, department heads, doctors, former chairmen of Pradeshiya Sabhas, and other public officials. This development signals that the Commission’s work is reaching beyond lower-level operatives and into the upper echelons of the state apparatus.
The CIABOC’s activity in 2025 was not limited to arrests. The Commission filed 115 cases against 153 individuals and concluded 69 cases during the same period. These figures reflect a growing pipeline of legal action, but also highlight the long and complex process required to bring corruption cases to a conclusion. The Commission’s efforts appear to be intensifying, yet the persistence of bribery across multiple institutions indicates that a broader cultural shift may be needed to dismantle entrenched networks of corruption.
The report also revealed that the CIABOC received 8,409 complaints between January 1 and December 31, 2025, initiating investigations into 569 of those cases. The high volume of complaints suggests that the public is increasingly aware of, and willing to report, corrupt practices. However, it also underscores the scale of the problem facing Sri Lanka’s governance structures and the challenge of investigating and prosecuting such a vast number of cases.
The Commission’s findings come amid renewed calls for decisive action to eradicate bribery and corruption from the public service. The CIABOC emphasized that all parties bear responsibility for eliminating corruption, urging stronger oversight, transparency, and accountability measures across government institutions. As the Commission continues its investigations and prosecutions, the question remains whether Sri Lanka can translate these enforcement efforts into lasting reform and a restored public confidence in the state.
