Apparently, there are no laws for Samurdhi bank audits.

Audit officials have informed the Committee on Public Finance that a specific framework for auditing Samurdhi banks has not yet been established. These facts were revealed when the relevant committee met in Parliament on the 2nd, chaired by Member of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva.

Accordingly, the Committee Chairman instructed the relevant officials to propose a suitable methodology for auditing Samurdhi banks and societies.

Officials pointed out that the audits for 2023 and 2024 must be completed before commencing audit activities for the upcoming year 2025. However, they stated that the procurement process for assigning these audit activities to external parties has not yet been completed. Although it was estimated that approximately 300 officials would be required for these tasks, the Auditor General clarified to the committee that recruiting 200 officials within the next one and a half years would be sufficient.

In addition, special attention was drawn to the accounts related to the 'Rebuilding Sri Lanka' program. Officials of the National Audit Office pointed out that it is not a statutory fund, but merely an account under the Deputy Secretary to the Treasury. It was also revealed that no payments have been made through this account to date, and the necessity of making it a statutory fund was also discussed.

Meanwhile, steps have been taken to inform the Committee on Public Finance about the progress of the National Audit Office's annual program for this year. The relevant information was presented to the committee by a team of officials, including Auditor General Samudika Jayaratne.