The Joint Opposition has alleged that the company awarded the most recent coal procurement contract had not been registered at the time the contract was granted, escalating the scandal that has already forced the resignation of Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody and his ministry secretary.
In a statement on Sunday, the Joint Opposition said a minister’s resignation is typically regarded as an acknowledgment of responsibility in relation to a specific issue. However, it emphasised that a resignation does not in any way influence the proceedings of a Presidential Commission of Inquiry, dismissing any such justification as unfounded.
The group said collective responsibility for the decision to award the contract in the alleged circumstances rests with the Cabinet. “Collective responsibility must be borne by the government for the decision to award the contract under such circumstances,” the statement said, according to an English translation reported by Ada Derana.
The unregistered-company allegation is a new, specific procedural claim that goes beyond earlier disputes about coal quality, pricing and shipment timing. If confirmed, awarding a procurement contract to an entity not yet registered at the time would raise questions under the government’s own procurement regulations and could become a central line of inquiry for the Presidential Commission of Inquiry gazetted on April 17.
Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody and Ministry Secretary Prof. Udayanga Hemapala resigned on April 17, days after the minister survived a No Confidence Motion 153–49 on April 10. The PCOI is scheduled to begin operations this week, with a remit covering all coal imports since the sector’s inception.
The Joint Opposition statement accompanies a formal letter submitted to the commission’s registry. Government ministers have so far defended Jayakody, saying neither COPE nor the Auditor General identified wrongdoing against him personally and framing the resignation as a matter of integrity.
