The Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Sri Lanka’s coal procurement has so far recorded statements from 40 government officials, including some who served on procurement committees, and is preparing to begin open hearings of evidence in the first week of July, NewsFirst reported.
The commission said it may also record statements from former ministers depending on what the ongoing questioning brings to light. To date, it has received 28 complaints linked to the coal deal probe — the same total cited when Deputy Minister Tilvin Silva was summoned over public remarks on the inquiry in late May.
The 40-statement milestone marks a sharp acceleration since the commission signalled it would begin recording statements from Lanka Coal Company, Lakvijaya Power Plant and Ministry of Energy officials the week of May 27. Procurement committee members emerging in the testimony cohort suggests the inquiry is digging into the decision-making chain that approved tenders and shipments, not only the operational layer.
The three-judge body, gazetted under the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry Act with Supreme Court Justice Gihan Kulatunga as chair alongside Court of Appeal Justice Aditya Patabendige and High Court Justice Sanjeewa Somaratne, began formal operations in Colombo in late April. Its mandate covers all coal imports through Lakvijaya from the inception of coal power generation up to April 16, 2026.
The shift to open hearings in July will be the most consequential phase yet, exposing testimony to public scrutiny and creating the first courtroom-style record of how procurement decisions were taken across successive administrations.
Update — June 9: The commission’s total statement count has risen to approximately 50 government officials, NewsFirst reported on Tuesday, after a fresh round of questioning targeted procurement committee members. Four procurement committee officials provided statements on Monday alone. The complaint tally remained at 28 and the open evidence hearings remain scheduled for the first week of July.
The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) is meanwhile preparing to table its own report on coal procurement in Parliament, The Island reported on Sunday. COPE Chairman Dr Nishantha Samaraweera said audit findings had been considered alongside the testimony of officials summoned to its proceedings, and any matters needing further investigation would be referred to law enforcement and anti-corruption authorities — opening a second formal accountability track parallel to the PCOI’s judicial inquiry.
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