Samudika Jayaratne appointed new Auditor General

Wednesday, 4 February 2026 00:27 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Samudika Jayaratne

Ending a ten-month deadlock the Constitutional Council yesterday finally and unanimously approved the appointment of Senior Deputy Auditor General Samudika Jayaratne as the new Auditor General.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Constitutional Council chaired by Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne and follows the retirement of former Auditor General Chulantha Wickramaratne in April 2025.

The post had remained vacant after the Constitutional Council rejected four nominees proposed by the President over the past several months. Those rejections triggered public debate over the appointment process and raised concerns regarding the independence of the National Audit Office, particularly after the nomination of a serving military officer in December.

Jayaratne is a career official of the National Audit Office, and her appointment restores a permanent head to the audit institution after a prolonged period of uncertainty and civil society concern surrounding the role.