News
Prez seeks Harsha’s help to address CC’s concerns over appointment of AG
Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance (CoPF), MP Dr. Harsha de Silva, told Parliament yesterday that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had personally telephoned him in response to a letter highlighting the prolonged delay in appointing an Auditor General, a vacancy that has remained unfilled since 07 December.
Addressing the House, Dr. de Silva said the President had contacted him following the letter he sent, in his capacity as CoPF Chairman, regarding the urgent need to appoint the constitutionally mandated head of the National Audit Office. During the conversation, the President had sought his intervention to inform the Constitutional Council (CC) about approving the names already forwarded by the President for consideration.
Dr. de Silva said the President had inquired whether he could convey the matter to the Constitutional Council after their discussion. He stressed that both the President and the CC must act in cooperation and in strict accordance with the Constitution, warning that institutional deadlock should not undermine constitutional governance.
He also raised concerns over the Speaker’s decision to prevent the letter he sent to the President from being shared with members of the Constitutional Council, stating that this had been done without any valid basis. Dr. de Silva subsequently tabled the letter in Parliament.
Last week, Dr. de Silva formally urged President Dissanayake to immediately fill the Auditor General’s post, warning that the continued vacancy was disrupting key constitutional functions. In his letter, dated 22 December, he pointed out that the absence of an Auditor General undermines Articles 148 and 154 of the Constitution, which vest Parliament with control over public finance.
He said that the vacancy has severely hampered the work of oversight bodies such as the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) and the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), particularly at a time when the country is grappling with a major flood disaster.
As Chair of the Committee responsible for overseeing the National Audit Office, Dr. de Silva stressed that a swift appointment was essential to safeguard transparency, accountability and financial oversight.
In a separate public statement, he warned that Sri Lanka was operating without its constitutionally mandated Chief Auditor at a critical juncture. In a six-point appeal to the President, Dr. de Silva emphasised that an Auditor General must be appointed urgently in the context of ongoing disaster response and reconstruction efforts.
“Given the large number of transactions taking place now with Cyclone Ditwah reconstruction and the yet-to-be-legally-established Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund, an Auditor General must be appointed urgently,” he said in a post on X.
By Saman Indrajith
The Opposition yesterday called for the entire Cabinet-of-Ministers to accept responsibility for the coal scam. Addressing the media at the Flower Road Office of UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, former Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris emphasised that Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody’s resignation, in the wake of the damning report issued by the National Audit Office (NAO), has now implicated the entire Cabinet-of-Ministers.
Prof. Peiris asserted that Jayakody, who had been indicted in the Colombo High Court over alleged corruption, during the Yahapalana administration, stepped down after the NPP failed to suppress the truth on the coal scam.
The ex-Minister declared that Jayakody’s resignation, the first since the formation of new government, with a super majority in Parliament, was a devastating setback for the current dispensation.
The internationally recognised legal scholar said that a future government would move courts against the entire NPP Cabinet. Referring to the NAO report submitted to Parliament, Prof. Peiris emphasised that there was absolutely no ambiguity regards allegations directed at the Energy Ministry. The NAO report proved that the Indian company, Trident Champhar, that won the major contract, didn’t even have the required registration.
Prof. Peiris said that the coal scam was three times bigger than the Treasury bond scams, perpetrated during the Yahapalana time (SF)
The Colombo High Court yesterday ordered that the case, filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and his grand-aunt Daisy Forrest Wickramasinghe, be recalled on June 10.
The case was taken up before High Court Judge Rashmi Singappuli.
At the hearing, State Counsel informed the court that a related case, on similar charges, had been filed before High Court No. 08. The court was further informed that a revised indictment has been directed to be filed in that case, necessitating the submission of a revised indictment in the present case as well.
State Counsel requested time to report on the progress of those proceedings.
Accordingly, the judge ordered that the case be called on June 10 and directed that progress be reported on that date.
The case pertains to three indictments filed by the Attorney General alleging that between March 31, 2009, and December 12, 2013, the accused had committed an offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act by depositing over Rs. 59 million in three private banks, the source of which could not be explained.
A three-judge bench of the Colombo Special High Court yesterday rejected a request by former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundera to introduce additional facts to a statement he had previously made from the dock.
Jayasundera is an accused in the case filed over alleged criminal negligence in failing to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, despite prior intelligence warnings.
The order was delivered by the bench, presided over by Justice Priyantha Liyanage.
Meanwhile, retired Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) Nandana Munasinghe and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in charge of the Eastern Province, Waruna Jayasundera, appeared before court as defence witnesses.
Opposition holds NPP Cabinet responsible for coal scam, three times bigger than bond fraud
Case against Yoshitha and Daisy Forrest postponed
Three-judge bench rejects request by ex-IGP Pujith
Johnston gets bail after four months
Thousands of pets affected by Avurudu firecrackers; over 10,000 cases of trauma reported
Inadequate LPG price hike compels the vulnerable to subsidize the wealthy: Advocata Institute
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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