The Criminal Investigation Department has taken all procurement files relating to the ongoing coal investigation into its custody and has begun a forensic examination of computer data, NewsFirst reported on Saturday.
Statements from every official who had been responsible for the seized records have already been recorded, the CID said in a statement. A detailed study of the physical files has commenced alongside the digital forensic review, which will cover computers used by Lanka Coal Company staff and other officials handling tender documents.
The move marks the most aggressive evidentiary step taken in the criminal probe to date. The CID sealed Lanka Coal Company’s office earlier this month and has since extended police protection to the company while evidence was secured.
The criminal investigation runs in parallel with the Presidential Coal Commission gazetted by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on April 17. Chaired by Supreme Court Justice P. Kulatunga, the commission is mandated to examine every coal import procurement from 2009 to April 2026. Former COPE chairman Charitha Herath has separately argued the probe should extend beyond individual tenders to broader governance failures in the sector.
Former Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody resigned on April 17 alongside his ministry secretary, citing the mounting pressure of overlapping parliamentary, administrative and criminal inquiries. Investigators have not named any suspects publicly. The forensic review of digital records is expected to take weeks.
