Constitutional lawyer and human rights advocate J. C. Weliamuna has been elected to the Board of Directors of Transparency International (TI) at the Annual Membership Meeting of the leading global movement against corruption, held in Bangkok.

Obtaining nearly 75% of the votes of the delegates representing 100 countries, he was first in the four-member contest. Two directors were elected on Tuesday. Jacques Terray of France was the other.

Weliamuna is the first Sri Lankan to be elected to this prestigious position at TI’s highest policy making body. As an anti-corruption activist, he steered TI’s national chapter – Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) as Executive Director for eight years.

Commenting on his election, Weliamuna said that he would dedicate his time and energy to work towards a world free of corruption through this position.

It was under Weliamuna’s astute leadership that TISL has become perhaps the most visible anti-corruption entity in Sri Lanka and an active contributor to the global TI network.

His creative and persuasive skills have ensured a wide support base for TISL from within the public, private and civil society sectors. This has been achieved in an increasingly challenging environment of suppression and extreme anti-NGO sentiments.

Among the notable contributions of TISL during his tenure as Executive Director was the successful advocacy with the Government of Sri Lanka to ratify the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in April 2003.

Weliamuna holds a LL M from the University of Colombo. He is also an Eisenhower Fellow and a Senior Ashoka Fellow.

Source: The Daily Mirror – 12.11.2010