AG Dept. officials proposed as observers for CoPE

• CoPE Chairman recommends AG’s Dept. be present at sessions to prompt legal action 
• Says no point in conducting investigations if no action taken 
• Since CoPE has no legal powers, says AG representation a positive step  

Committee on Public Enterprises (CoPE) Chairman MP Sunil Handunnetti has proposed that Parliament allow representatives from the Attorney General’s Department to take part in CoPE hearings as observers. 

According to Handunnetti, these observers will be eyewitnesses to ongoing investigations, and their observations will help cut down time wasted in taking legal action. 

Moving the third report of CoPE, from 1 March 2018 till 26 October 2018, yesterday in Parliament, MP Handunnetti said: “CoPE has no judicial powers. No point in conducting investigations unless legal action is taken. Under Imran Khan in Pakistan, the Attorney General is represented at CoPE.”

According to CoPE findings, the total loss incurred by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation in the year of 2018 amounts to Rs. 105 billion. The CoPE Committee report also indicates a loss of Rs. 505,408,042 by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, and a loss of Rs. 33,622,258 sustained by the Elkaduwa Plantation Ltd. Additionally, a loss of Rs. 2,187,367 by the Pali and Buddhist University, a loss of Rs. 3,567,328 by the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology has also been reported in CoPE findings.  

The Committee report further reveals that the financial reports expected to be submitted by the Janatha Estate Development Board and the Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority have not yet been submitted to the CoPE Committee.  

Based on the audit reports submitted by the Auditor General, auditing the accounts of 23 Government authoritative bodies including Lanka Hospital Corporation PLC, State Pharmaceutical Corporation of Sri Lanka, National Transport Commission, Road Development Authority, State Engineering Corporation, Land Reform Commission, Ceylon Industrial Development Board, Sri Lanka Football Federation, Lanka Electricity Ltd., the aforementioned losses were unveiled. 

Since the opening of the CoPE for media coverage on 9 August, it has widened the opportunities for citizens to be involved in facing the current challenges in the economic, political and cultural spheres of Sri Lanka. (AH)