JO raps CB for delayed tabling of 2017 Annual Report

Saturday, 12 May 2018 00:22 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Joint Opposition says public release of Annual Report before presentation to arliament unconstitutional

By Ashwin Hemmathagama

The delay in presenting the Central Bank Annual Report 2017 to Parliament was brought to the Speaker’s attention yesterday with Opposition lawmakers insisting that its public release before Parliament was unconstitutional.

“Almost a week ago, the Minister of Finance held a press conference and gave out the annual report of the Central Bank. According to the Monetary Law Act, the report has to be tabled in the Parliament before being released to any other party. I request the Central Bank to submit the reports to the Parliament soon after it is presented to the Minister of Finance,” complained Joint Opposition lawmaker Bandula Gunawardane. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya instructed the Chief Government Whip to attend to the matter.

In terms of Section 35 of the Monetary Law Act No. 58 of 1949, the sixty-eighth Annual Report of the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka was presented to the Minister of Finance and Mass Media Mangala Samaraweera by the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy, on 26 April.