Decision on release of CB forensic audit reports on 21 Jan.

Thursday, 16 January 2020 02:23 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Speaker meets AG prior to taking final decision
MPs from Govt. and Opposition want reports prepared as part of CB bond scam to be made public

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya met with Attorney General Dappula de Livera in Parliament on Tuesday before making a final decision on the release of the forensic audit reports prepared as part of the investigation into the Central Bank bond scam.

Even though the AG had informed the Speaker two weeks ago in writing that it would be prudent not to release the reports as legal action had been instituted in connection with the bond scam and several more cases are to be filed in this connection , MPs from both the Government and Opposition urged him to release them.

A Parliament official said the Speaker would announce his decision on the reports when Parliament next meets on 21 January. The forensic audit reports were received by Parliament in December but were not examined by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) when the House was prorogued.

At the meeting of party leaders and political party representatives on Monday, the MPs reiterated their call to the Speaker that the audit reports be released to them as soon as possible.

The Monetary Board of the Central Bank, in consultation with the Auditor General, commissioned the forensic audits, which were carried out entirely by personnel based outside Sri Lanka, by audit firms with a global practice and international experience that were selected by a Cabinet-Appointed Consultants Procurement Committee (CACPC) in compliance with applicable Government procurement guidelines. The Auditor General’s representative was an observer on CACPC.

The compilation of the reports cost Rs. 900 million.