Anti-Corruption Officer (CIABOC)

What a Anti-Corruption Officer (CIABOC) does daily

• Receiving and assessing complaints — receiving complaints of bribery and corruption from members of the public; public servants; civil society; and the media; assessing the admissibility of complaints (whether the conduct alleged falls within CIABOC's jurisdiction); prioritising complaints for investigation; the complaint receipt and assessment function is the entry point for CIABOC's investigative work and requires a systematic; confidential; and thorough initial assessment process
• Corruption investigation — conducting formal investigations under the Bribery Act; the investigation involves: taking statements from complainants and witnesses; examining documentary evidence (procurement records; payment vouchers; bank statements; asset declaration forms; contracts); obtaining financial intelligence from the FIU; examining assets (vehicles; property; business interests) against income and asset declarations; conducting surveillance (where authorised); executing search warrants (with court authority); seizing evidence; the investigation officer who produces a complete; admissible evidentiary case is the backbone of successful prosecution
• Financial investigation and lifestyle audit — examining the financial affairs of a suspect in depth: tracing the movement of funds through bank accounts; examining property and vehicle registrations; checking share ownership; looking for hidden assets (beneficial ownership structures; nominee arrangements; offshore accounts accessible from Sri Lanka); comparing the suspect's declared assets and income (under the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Law) against their actual wealth and lifestyle; the lifestyle audit — the systematic comparison of a suspect's observable wealth against their legitimate income — is the most powerful single tool for proving unexplained wealth and inferring corruption
• Integrity testing operations — conducting or supporting integrity testing operations (sometimes called sting operations) in which a CIABOC officer or informant offers a bribe to a public official to test whether that official will accept it; the integrity test operation is a proactive anti-corruption technique that produces highly compelling evidence of corruption (actual acceptance of a bribe on record); these operations require strict legal authority and procedural compliance to produce admissible evidence
• Digital forensics for corruption cases — examining digital devices (computers; smartphones; tablets) seized from suspects for evidence of corruption; the WhatsApp messages; emails; financial transaction records; photographs of cash; and other digital evidence that increasingly constitute the most compelling evidence in corruption prosecutions; the digital forensics capability is becoming central to anti-corruption investigation in Sri Lanka as public servants increasingly use digital communication
• Prosecution preparation and conduct — preparing case files for prosecution in the High Court; working with the Director General and Commissioners to determine prosecutorial strategy; drafting indictments; briefing the prosecution team; supporting the prosecution of cases in court; giving evidence as an investigating officer; managing witnesses; the prosecution preparation function connects the investigative work to the judicial process
• Asset recovery — working to recover the proceeds of corruption through criminal confiscation orders (following conviction) and civil forfeiture proceedings (under the Proceeds of Crime Act No. 19 of 2019 — civil forfeiture without conviction); tracing assets in Sri Lanka and abroad; liaising with foreign law enforcement (through MLATs — Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties) for the tracing and recovery of assets hidden overseas; asset recovery is the most impactful anti-corruption outcome — actually recovering the stolen money — and is a priority function of the CIABOC
• Corruption prevention and public awareness — conducting integrity workshops and awareness programmes for public servants; educating potential bribe-givers (contractors; businesses; members of the public) about the risks and consequences of paying bribes; the prevention function is the long-term structural approach to corruption reduction; complementing the investigative and prosecutorial functions
• Liaison with FIU; FCID; and international partners — coordinating with the Financial Intelligence Unit at CBSL (sharing financial intelligence); the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) of the Police (for criminal investigations with a corruption dimension); the Asset Management Corporation (AMC) under the Proceeds of Crime Act; Interpol Sri Lanka National Central Bureau (for international cooperation); bilateral anti-corruption cooperation with India; UK; USA; Australia; the Egmont Group (international FIU network); the UNCAC review mechanism
• Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) analysis — working with the FIU to analyse STRs from banks and other financial institutions that identify suspicious financial activity by public officials; the STR analysis function connects the anti-money laundering framework to the anti-corruption investigation system