Some findings in Auditor General s coal import report unacceptable – Minister Wasantha

Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe expressed that some conclusions in the Auditor General’s report on the controversial coal imports are unacceptable. He shared these views during the ‘360’ program on TV Derana last night (20). The Minister noted that the report does not claim any fraud occurred, but rather discusses potential scenarios. He firmly stated that the government believes no fraud took place regarding this matter. Both he and other ministers hold this view and questioned the validity of proposing a no-confidence motion in Parliament, especially as the government feels assured about having a majority. Wasantha further mentioned that the government sees no flaws in the procurement process that was followed. He argued that if there were any issues, the Auditor General's report should have identified specific violations of procurement rules. He insisted that the report should clearly indicate if the registration under the Procurement Commission or the procurement conditions were not completed at the appropriate time, which would make it invalid. He highlighted a letter from the Procurement Commission dated August 2025, stating in its fourth paragraph that the issue in question is not viewed as a major mistake. "This is the concern," he said. He acknowledged that there are problems with how certain reports were prepared and the specific details included. However, he clarified that he is not claiming the Auditor General's report is completely incorrect, but some sections and statements within it are not accurate.