The Presidential Commission of Inquiry investigating all past coal transactions in Sri Lanka officially commenced hearings on Monday at the Hulftsdorp Court Complex in Colombo, NewsFirst reported.
The commission is chaired by Supreme Court Justice Gihan Kulatunga, with Court of Appeal Judge Aditya Patabendige and High Court Judge Sanjeeva Somaratne as members. It was appointed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake with full powers to probe the legality and transparency of coal procurement deals from the start of coal-fired generation in Sri Lanka through April 16, 2026.
Commission Secretary P.V. Bandulasena said public notices calling for information regarding past coal transactions will be issued in the coming days, opening the inquiry to submissions from members of the public and former officials with knowledge of the deals.
Monday’s start of formal proceedings follows the setup of the commission’s office at Hulftsdorp earlier this month and the gazetting of its broad mandate. The inquiry’s scope makes it one of the widest-mandated probes appointed under the current administration, covering every coal shipment since coal-based electricity generation began at Lakvijaya.
Its launch follows a series of accountability developments — including a National Audit Office finding that the contractor supplying Lakvijaya coal, Trident Champhar, was unregistered at contract signing, and Joint Opposition allegations of procedural irregularities in recent shipments. Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody’s secretary resigned in mid-April over the controversy.
Source: NewsFirst.
