The Hon. Nalinda Jayatissa

¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, Article 153(1) states: “There shall be an Auditor-General, who shall be a qualified auditor…”

¶ 02 Article 154(8) defines “qualified auditor” as: (a) a person who is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka or any other institution established by law, and holds a certificate authorizing him to practise as an accountant issued by such body; or (b) a partner of a firm of accountants each of whom is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka or any other institution established by law, and holds a certificate authorizing practice as an accountant issued by such body.

¶ 03 It is clear: the Auditor-General must be a qualified auditor, and the Constitution defines who that is. Accordingly, the President has already sent the names of two officers currently serving in the National Audit Office, as well as two others, all in line with these qualifications.

¶ 04 The Constitutional Council should assess whether the nominees meet the constitutional qualifications—not whether other “more qualified” persons are outside or abroad. The question is whether the nominees possess the stipulated qualifications. They do. Therefore, the President has sent four names accordingly. Without accepting them, rejecting based on where someone studied or previously worked is not a reason. An accountant later serving in the Army does not make him unfit to be Auditor-General. The basic constitutional qualifications are present among the nominees, including the two proposed for acting appointments who were also rejected. Mr. Speaker, therefore you too bear responsibility in this matter. The President will act appropriately under the law.