Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament on Thursday that claims regarding the awarding of a tender for Sri Lanka’s e-passport project are “completely false,” dismissing recent allegations that the contract had been steered to a favoured bidder.
“The statement made regarding the e-passport is completely false because no tender has been awarded so far,” Wijepala said, adding that the procurement process is still ongoing.
The minister said the e-passport tender process began under the previous government and that several companies had since pursued legal action over the matter. He noted that a separate tender for the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) system underpinning the e-passport project is currently under review, with one bidder having filed an appeal before the Appeals Committee.
“A tender has been called regarding the PKI system, but an institution has gone before the Appeals Committee over the selection process. No final decision has been taken yet,” he told the House.
Wijepala said the Cabinet has referred the matter to the Procurement Commission and insisted the process is being handled transparently.
The parliamentary statement is the government’s first formal response to Sarvajana Balaya leader Dilith Jayaweera’s allegations on May 6 that a Polish-linked bidder had submitted the strongest tender but was overlooked in favour of another company. Jayaweera claimed the Polish Government had complained to Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry and was preparing to escalate the matter to the European Union.
The Public Security Ministry oversees the Department of Immigration and Emigration, which is the lead agency for the e-passport rollout.
