2026-02-20 / Adjournment Motion: Coal procurement for Lakvijaya Power Plant at Norochcholai (Part 2) 2026-02-20
Dr. Harsha de Silva clarified that the IMF governance assessment on corruption was requested by the former President, not the incumbent. He referenced his tenure as COPF Chair, during which he initiated a special audit on coal procurement (2022–2025) for the Norochcholai power plant, resulting in a finding that the tender was unlawful and its subsequent halting, along with a recommendation barring Procurement Committee members from participating in tenders for one year. He tabled the Special Audit Report (30 September 2022) and the COPF Report (4 October 2022), drawing particular attention to the Auditor-General's observations in section 5.5.1(a) regarding minimum supplier experience requirements (1 million metric tons, GCV ≥ 5,900 kcal/kg over 36 months), and noted that once Parliament adopts a special audit report, its annexures carry binding force.
First, the request to the IMF for a governance assessment on corruption was made by the previous President, not the current one.
As then Chair of the Committee on Public Finance (COPF), I called for a special audit on coal procurement for 2022–2025 in respect of Norochcholai. I was removed from the Chair thereafter. We had found the tender to be unlawful and, following our recommendations aligned to the Auditor-General, that transaction was halted. We also recommended that the members of that Procurement Committee not be involved in tenders for at least one year to prevent recurrence.
I table the Special Audit Report dated 30 September 2022 on coal procurement for 2022–2025 for Norochcholai, and the COPF report of 04 October 2022.
The Auditor-General’s observations (section 5.5.1(a)) state that the minimum experience required was supply of at least 1 million metric tons with GCV ≥ 5,900 kcal/kg in the past 36 months. The recommendations in section 7.2 speak of relaxing conditions to enhance competition, but the observation on experience is clear. Once Parliament adopts a special audit report, its annexures have force. That is why I raise this.