Pressure Exerted To Alter Coal Test Reports Revealed Before Presidential Commission

COLOMBO (News 1st): Allegations of external pressure being exerted to alter laboratory reports concerning substandard coal imported into Sri Lanka have been revealed before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Coal Transactions. 

The revelation was made by Saliya Panditharatne, a member of the Board of Directors of Lanka Coal Generation Private Limited, who testified before the commission.

He informed the commission that several suspicious incidents had been reported, including the covert recording of internal discussions and the sharing of those recordings with coal supplier companies.

Panditharatne further revealed that even after coal-carrying vessels arrived in Sri Lanka, some ships had remained anchored for extended periods while unclear discussions took place between certain officials and the suppliers.

He added that following the emergence of the substandard coal controversy, neither the international suppliers involved nor their local representatives participated in discussions called by the Secretary to the Ministry of Energy.

Meanwhile, the National Audit Office has also presented findings to the commission regarding alleged irregularities in the coal procurement process between 2022 and 2025.

Testifying before the commission, Audit Superintendent K. M. Sumudu Dilhani said that, according to an audit conducted at the request of the Committee on Public Finance, coal imports from 2023 to 2025 were carried out exclusively through unsolicited proposal procedures, without following a formal tender process.

She told the commission that relying on unsolicited proposals created significant risks and placed the country at a disadvantage. She also outlined the changes introduced to the coal procurement process following the 2022 economic crisis.