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 Jana Aragala Sandhanaya yesterday lodged a complaint with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), calling for an investigation into Deputy Minister Sundaralingam Pradeep over alleged irregularities related to a Guinness World Record event held in Sri Lanka.
The organisation alleged that state patronage had been extended to a private company for the event and that large sums of money had been collected from around 5,000 families of participating students.
Speaking to the media, after submitting the complaint, Jana Aragala Sandhanaya National Executive Council member and Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) Secretary, Duminda Nagamuwa, alleged that the government had promoted the Bharatanatyam workshop, held on June 14, as an event that secured a Guinness World Record for the participation of the largest number of students.
He said a government politician had taken the lead in organising the event, attended by Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe.
Nagamuwa questioned the decision to provide state support for an event organised by a private entity, claiming that the Guinness certificate issued for the achievement had been awarded not to Sri Lanka or a state institution, but to a company.
“Why did the government provide state patronage to a private institution’s programme?” he asked.
He alleged that each of the approximately 5,000 participating students had paid Rs. 5,000, resulting in the collection of a substantial amount of money. He claimed that parents were also asked to pay additional amounts of Rs. 3,450 for logos and Rs. 2,350 for certificates.
Nagamuwa alleged that many families, from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, had incurred heavy expenses travelling to Colombo and staying there for several days for the event, with some families spending around Rs. 30,000 each.
News
Opposition MPs sign motion demanding debate on prolonged failure to fill vacancies in superior courts
Opposition MPs yesterday signed a motion demanding an adjournment debate in Parliament on the prolonged failure to fill vacancies in Sri Lanka’s superior courts.
The motion, submitted under Standing Order 83(1), calls for a debate on the implications of leaving more than eight vacancies in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal unfilled for over six months.
The Opposition said the proposed debate would examine the impact of the vacancies on the administration of justice, the rule of law, the protection of fundamental rights and public access to justice, while urging the authorities to expedite appointments to the vacant posts.
The motion, bearing the signatures of Opposition MPs, is to be forwarded to Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, for approval, to schedule the debate.
Suranga Sanjeewa Karunaratne, alias ‘Matiya’, an alleged underworld gunman linked to organised crime figure Kehelbaddara Padme, was arrested on arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport in the early hours yesterday.
Police said the suspect, a resident of Kotugoda, Yagodamulla, had been detained by Malaysian authorities and deported to Sri Lanka. Officers of the CID took him into custody upon his arrival.
Investigators said an Interpol Red Notice had been issued against the suspect.
Karunaratne is wanted in connection with the fatal shooting, near the Gampaha Magistrate’s Court, in July, 2022, in which alleged organised criminal ‘Paspodda’ was killed and several others sustained injuries.
Following preliminary questioning by the CID, the suspect was handed over to the Western Province North Crimes Division for further investigations. Police said a 72-hour detention order had been obtained to facilitate further inquiries.
by Norman Palihawadane ✍️
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