A special audit has found that unlimited fuel allowances were issued to several of Parliament’s most senior office-holders during the final two years of the 9th Parliament, including the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, the Deputy Chairperson of Committees and the Secretary-General.
The Speaker alone used 3,994 litres of fuel in 2023 and 6,122 litres in 2024, according to the report — increases of 66% and 155% respectively on the 2022 figure.
Rs. 8.5 million of fuel for a private vehicle
The audit states that fuel was issued without restriction for the post of Deputy Speaker, on a par with the entitlement of a non-Cabinet ministerial portfolio. The post of Deputy Chairperson of Committees was treated as subordinate to the Deputy Speaker, and fuel was issued without restriction for that position as well.
Across 2023 and 2024, the report says 21,299 litres of fuel valued at Rs. 8,545,037 were issued for the Deputy Speaker’s private motor vehicle. Fuel was also drawn in excess of capacity for the three official vehicles used by the Deputy Speaker.
Secretary-General’s pay unapproved since 2004
The report separately notes that parliamentary approval has not been obtained since 2004 for the salary of the Secretary-General of Parliament, whose remuneration is charged to the Consolidated Fund and, by law, requires the approval of Parliament.
A Hansard record dated 30 November 2004 specified that the Secretary-General’s allowances and remuneration should follow the Establishments Code and public administration circulars, in line with the entitlements of other public officers. The audit says that practice was not followed, and that unlimited fuel was issued to the post as a result.
Unlimited fuel for official travel was also arranged for the Deputy Secretary-General, the Assistant Secretary-General and other departmental heads, the report says, with a further allocation equivalent to 1,200 kilometres and 960 kilometres of travel provided for private use.
The findings extend a run of audit scrutiny of state institutions this month, after the National Audit Office reported that 709 escaped prisoners remain at large. Parliament’s own spending has been contested ground this year, with MPs’ pay debated in the House in August and the Bribery Commission separately examining cross-complaints involving Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne and a suspended senior parliamentary official.
The audit report identifies the positions concerned rather than naming the individuals who held them, and the period it covers predates the current Parliament. As of Sunday morning no other verified Sri Lankan newsroom had published its own report on the audit findings.
