The Office of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament has sought clarification from the Secretary-General of Parliament, Kushani Rohanadheera, on whether it is constitutionally permissible for the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) and the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) to convene meetings while the post of Auditor General remains vacant.
The request follows concerns raised by COPA Chairman Kabir Hashim, who informed the Opposition Leader’s Office about issues surrounding the participation of a representative from the Auditor General’s Department at a recent COPA meeting, given that the position of Auditor General is currently unfilled.
Ms. Rohanadheera has forwarded the request for clarification to Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne. The Speaker has indicated that he will study the matter and provide a response by tomorrow (5). Parliamentary sources said the Speaker may seek the advice of the Attorney General if necessary.
When contacted, COPE Chairman Dr. Nishantha Samaraweera told the Sunday Times that the operations of the Auditor General’s Department are continuing as usual despite the vacancy in the Auditor General’s post. However, he noted that COPE has not scheduled any meetings for this month, as the committee plans to conduct a series of district-level awareness programmes for public officials from the 445 public institutions under its oversight.
Meanwhile, COPA Chairman Kabir Hashim said it is appropriate to seek clarity on the constitutionality of the matter, particularly as a representative from the Auditor General’s Department continues to attend COPA meetings.
The Sunday Times learns that several administrative issues have arisen within the Auditor General’s Department due to the vacancy. These include difficulties in forwarding information to institutions and calling for reports, as no individual has been appointed to act as Auditor General. As a result, senior officials within the department are not legally authorised to sign documents on behalf of the Auditor General.
