ගල්අ­ඟුරු ආන­ය­නයේ අක්‍ර­මි­ක­තා­ව­ලට වග­කි­ව­යු­ත්තන් වෝහා­රික විග­ණ­න­ය­කින් හඳු­නා­ගන්න පුළු­වන්

A senior audit official states that a forensic audit can definitively identify the individuals responsible for the corruption and irregularities that occurred during coal imports to Sri Lanka. The official, appearing on behalf of the Auditor General, made this statement yesterday afternoon while giving evidence before the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry investigating irregularities in the coal import process.

He revealed these facts in response to a query from the Commission regarding the non-inclusion of names of individuals involved in irregularities in the special audit report issued covering the period from 2009 to 2016.

He pointed out, based on audit findings, that the responsibility for verifying the accuracy of information provided by various institutions and individuals when submitting memoranda related to coal imports for Cabinet approval rests with the Energy Secretaries as well as the relevant Ministers. He also stated that special attention is paid through audit methodologies to five key aspects: assets, liabilities, income, expenses, and equity, especially when public funds are spent in accordance with public aspirations.

The audit revealed numerous significant losses incurred by the government, and it was observed that these losses could have been avoided if proper procedures had been followed. The main reasons for this were the failure of the Lanka Coal Company to prepare proper plans for the procurement process in advance, as well as the arbitrary and short-sighted decisions made by the technical and tender committees during the tender calling process. Furthermore, the senior audit official added that during this period, decisions made by the Cabinet disregarding the recommendations of the Tender Appeals Committee, and the actions of the coal procurement committees operating outside of Cabinet decisions, were also observed.