The Hon. Anuradha Jayaratne, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, Minister Anura Karunathilaka said today that the testing lab had accreditation. But yesterday at COPE, the Chairman of Lanka Coal Company admitted the lab did not have accreditation on the date those certificates were issued. He accepted plainly that the lab which tested the samples lacked accreditation. Yet the Minister says otherwise here. Who is trying to whitewash this? If an error has occurred, identify it and act against those responsible. The loss alone is Rs. 22.4 billion, as per the Special Audit: when non-scheduled power was required, 3,540,800 kWh had to be generated leading to Rs. 22.4 billion in losses.

¶ 02 The President came here and asked whether we “taste” coal to decide quality. While an unaccredited entity certifies, the LCC Chairman resigns, saying the transaction was driven by the Ministry and he cannot assume responsibility. If so, why did the President make that remark? If we go by that logic, then former Ministers accused over substandard medicines should also be exonerated. The attempt to cleanse this only shows a deep problem. The Auditor-General’s findings continue to be validated.

¶ 03 We also hear the LCC General Manager may be arrested. That is serious. The Minister, Chairman, and Secretary remain free, but the GM is to be the scapegoat? If this happens, will public officials ever again engage with such processes? Our message to officials: if you merely implement shifting “committee” directions, you may be the ones ending up in jail. Those granting political cover—Ministers, Secretaries, Chairmen—walk free. This is dangerous. The Bribery Commission and relevant agencies must act properly.

¶ 04 In 2023 we toiled to bring the Anti-Corruption Act. We do not casually criticize the judiciary, Police Commission, Bribery Commission or the Central Bank, because eroding public trust in rule of law is perilous. We urge the Bribery Commission leadership to make decisions according to conscience. If they move to exonerate appointed Chairmen and Secretaries while targeting junior officials, then these institutions will lose credibility.

¶ 05 Please re-read the resignation letter of the LCC Chairman. He asked how the tender was called and stated he had no confidence in the process. We do not seek to sling mud at anyone beyond what is necessary. But ethically, the Minister cannot continue in office. The JJB claims to be a unique, anti-corruption administration; with such allegations pending, Ministers should not continue. I conclude.

¶ 06 Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.