The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of Opposition

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity. I raise this under Standing Order 92(2).

¶ 02 A Special Audit Report has already been presented to this House: “The procurement of coal by the Lanka Coal Company for the Lakvijaya Power Plant and the production of coal for the 2025/2026 season.”

¶ 03 I have before me the parliamentary authorities Erskine May’s Parliamentary Practice and M. N. Kaul and S. L. Shakdher’s Practice and Procedure of Parliament. After tabling this report in Parliament and distributing 68 copies to Members, adding new matters to this report—especially inserting new matters relating to earlier coal procurements—is, in my view, unethical. Those earlier matters should be separately investigated and then considered in due course.

¶ 04 We have information that there is an attempt to submit today, through the PAC, another report adding several matters to the already tabled Special Audit Report on coal production. I propose that transactions in the relevant periods be investigated separately and such reports be duly submitted to Parliament. Otherwise, it would challenge the independence of the Auditor General, which we must safeguard under Articles 153 and 154 of the Constitution.

¶ 05 Further, proceeding in this manner would infringe Members’ privileges. As an oversight body, the institution should function properly, free from undue influences. Such actions would violate that doctrine as well.

¶ 06 On grounds of accountability and breach of trust, I propose that a separate and more systematic inquiry be conducted into those earlier matters and a separate Auditor General’s report be presented with the relevant annexures. I do not think appending those matters to this report is appropriate. If such a thing is attempted, we express our opposition.