The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) is contemplating referring to irregularities at the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) to the Criminal Investigation Department ( CID) and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) According to a press release, issued by Parliament, there had been serious issues, pertaining to leasing of land and financial irregularities.
This was taken up when the Committee met recently at Parliament, under the Chairmanship of Dr. Nishantha Samaraweera, to continue its examination of the Auditor General’s Reports for the years 2022 and 2023 and to consider the remaining matters relating to the current performance of the National Housing Development Authority.
During the meeting, lengthy discussions were held regarding the leasing of valuable NHDA-owned lands located at Maligawatta, Elvitigala Mawatha and Rangirigama, Dambulla, to external parties, at low nominal values, without Cabinet approval, the use of such lands for purposes contrary to the conditions stipulated in the relevant agreements, and the failure to adequately safeguard the Authority’s assets.
The Committee observed that many of these transactions had been carried out in contravention of the objectives of the National Housing Development Authority and the relevant legal provisions. Accordingly, the Committee recommended that comprehensive reports on the identified irregularities be referred to the Criminal Investigation Department and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption to take appropriate legal action.
The Committee also instructed the officials to expedite internal audit investigations into these matters, identify the officers responsible and initiate disciplinary action against them. Furthermore, the Committee recommended that the necessary measures be taken to strengthen asset management and internal control systems in order to prevent the recurrence of such irregularities in the future.
