The Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry investigating all coal transactions carried out in Sri Lanka will begin accepting public submissions next week, Commission Secretary P. V. Bandulasena said on April 23.
Bandulasena said the commission has already begun collecting information from relevant institutions, and members of the public with information about coal transactions can submit details to the commission office from next week. The office is located within the Colombo Hulftsdorp court complex. Statements will also be recorded from selected individuals where investigative requirements demand, he added.
The commission is chaired by Supreme Court Justice Gihan Kulatunga, with Court of Appeal Judge Adithya Patabendige and High Court Judge Sanjeewa Somaratne serving as members. The inquiry covers the period from the commencement of coal-based power generation in Sri Lanka through April 16, 2026.
The move from institutional collection to public submissions opens a new phase of the investigation, potentially drawing in whistleblowers, former procurement officials and industry insiders. The commission formally began operations at Hulftsdorp on April 22, a week after it was gazetted with its three-judge panel named.
The inquiry has been driven by opposition allegations over quality, pricing and procedural irregularities in shipments procured by the Lanka Coal Company and its successors, including the Joint Opposition’s claim that a contractor was unregistered at the time of tender signing.
Source: NewsFirst
