ACCESS TO FREE LEGAL ADVICE
The ‘Centre for Legal Advice Against Corruption’ was opened yesterday by Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) in furtherance of its mission of ‘building a nation that upholds integrity’. The office is located at no 6, 37thlane off Queens Road, Colombo.
The Centre will provide the public with the opportunity of seeking legal advice free of charge said TISL Communication Director Shan Wijetunga. “When faced with an incident of corruption while obtaining a service from a state institution we will mediate between the complainant and the state institution” he said.
TISL has taken the initiative of setting up this centre
When faced with an incident of corruption while obtaining a service from a state institution we will mediate between the complainant and the state institution
with the objective of empowering citizens to make and pursue corruption related complaints. “We hope that the center will be a stepping stone when it comes to preventing corruption in Sri Lanka” said Project Coordinator, Sashi Demel. She added the fight against corruption could only be won with the participation of the public
he Centre will document all complaints received in a database that would be used to raise awareness. They plan to assist the public by helping to file a complaint with the relevant authorities and mediate between the two parties while providing legal advice to the complainants. Any case of corruption can be reported to the center via their hotline 011-2055 255 or e-mail help@tisrilanka.org or through written letter addressed to 6, 37th Lane, Queens Road, Colombo 3Transparency International (TI) is a global civil society organisation that aims to reduce and eliminate corruption. Founded in 1993, the organisation has established a global network including 90 nationally established chapters. Transparency International Sri Lanka commenced its operation at the end of 2002 and has been a self-financing, autonomous chapter of TI with its own strategic directions and priorities.