Former Governor Maheepala Herath pays for 1.17 million rupees in fuel misuse

Former North Central Province Governor Maheepala Herath has repaid Rs. 1.17 million, the value of 11,320 liters of additional fuel obtained in violation of state circulars and provisions, to the Provincial Council.

Following an investigation conducted by the National Audit Office and according to the official notification regarding the irregularity, Aruna Ravi, Deputy Chief Secretary (Finance) of the North Central Province, confirmed that the former Governor has fully credited the said amount in cash back to the Provincial Council fund.

This additional fuel usage occurred during the period from April 2020 to June 2021. During that time, the Auditor General's Department initially pointed out that the former Governor had used additional fuel contrary to government circular instructions. Based on that audit query, a subsequent investigation conducted by the North Central Provincial Council recommended that the amount lost to the government should be recovered from him.

However, although the Provincial Council succeeded in recovering the said amount from the former Governor, no action has yet been taken against the officials who facilitated this irregularity. The National Audit Office has strongly emphasized to the Provincial Council in its latest report that disciplinary inquiries should be promptly conducted against the responsible officials who approved the issuance of additional fuel and the payment for it, in violation of circulars.

However, the Provincial Council is facing an administrative problem when taking action against the relevant officials. As pointed out by the Deputy Chief Secretary, the officials who approved the provision of this fuel during the relevant period have already retired from public service.

Accordingly, the Deputy Chief Secretary further stated that taking further action against retired officials has become problematic due to the limitations in taking disciplinary action against them under the provisions of the Establishments Code. Although government funds could be recovered, a situation has arisen where the officials responsible for the irregularity have escaped the grasp of the law due to their retirement.