The Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Sri Lanka’s coal procurement plans to begin recording statements next week from officials of the institutions involved in the transactions, NewsFirst reported.
Statements will be taken from officials of the Lanka Coal Company, the Lakvijaya Power Plant and the Ministry of Energy, the commission said, adding that the recording of statements from involved institutions is already under way. An open hearing of evidence is scheduled to commence shortly afterwards.
The commission confirmed it has received 28 complaints in total — the same figure cited when Deputy Minister Tilvin Silva was summoned over his public remarks on the inquiry.
The development marks a shift from complaint-gathering to active fact-finding for the body, which began formal operations in Colombo in late April under Supreme Court Justice Gihan Kulatunga, with Court of Appeal Justice Aditya Patabendige and High Court Justice Sanjeewa Somaratne. Gazetted under the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry Act, its mandate covers all coal imports through Lakvijaya from the inception of coal power generation up to April 16, 2026.
The procedural step is distinct from the parallel disputes over shipment quality, including a South African consignment with ash content above the tender limit that arrived at Colombo this month. A COPE audit and Auditor General’s report previously flagged over Rs. 2.24 billion in losses and penalties tied to substandard coal, and complaints have been referred between the commission, COPE and the CID.
