Samagi Jana Balawegaya Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahman has alleged that the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) visited the Auditor General’s Department and exerted pressure to alter the coal-related audit report.
According to the MP, he had visited the department on several occasions, during which officials informed him that they had been subjected to such pressure.
He emphasized that this constitutes a serious wrongdoing, noting that it is unethical for the chairman of a key parliamentary oversight committee to engage in such conduct.
Despite these alleged pressures, Rahman stated that officials of the Auditor General’s Department acted with integrity and proceeded to present an accurate and truthful report on the coal issue to the public.
He further expressed his gratitude to the heads of the relevant departments for upholding professional standards under challenging circumstances.
Rahman also claimed that this situation explains why certain members within the government made significant efforts to appoint an individual aligned with them to the position of Auditor General. He added that he intends to request the Speaker to initiate an investigation into the matter.
