The National Audit Office (NAO) has found fault with the Energy Ministry and Lanka Coal Company for awarding the 2025/2026 coal supply contract to Trident Champhar Ltd while the company had not completed its registration, according to the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).
The opposition party said the NAO’s findings make it harder for the government to deflect scrutiny, and argued that the planned Presidential Commission of Inquiry into coal procurement since 2009 cannot sidestep the audit report. The NAO noted that the Indian company was one of three firms considered during the tender process despite lacking formal registration, and also flagged Trident Champhar’s failure to follow proper loading procedures.
SJB sources said it should not be difficult for the Presidential Commission to establish who authorised the tender award to an unregistered bidder. The party accused National People’s Power (NPP) representatives challenging the Opposition to testify before the commission of having not read the audit report.
This is the first formal audit-level confirmation of allegations first raised by the Joint Opposition that the firm was unregistered at the time of contract signing. Earlier coal coverage centred on quality shortfalls, shipment failures and financial losses; the NAO’s finding shifts the focus to the procedural legality of the award itself.
The coal procurement scandal forced Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody and his ministry secretary to resign on April 17. The Presidential Commission, chaired by Supreme Court Justice Kulatunga, is tasked with examining coal imports from 2009 through April 2026.
