Opposition claim that Auditor General’s potency would be reduced by 20A, false - PM

• 19A provides  for only an Audit Service Commission

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday, all that the 20th Amendment seeks to do is to replace the changes made to the provisions relating to the Auditor General by the 19th Amendment with the provisions that existed before the 19th Amendment.   

Issuing a statement, he said the opposition had been trying to propagate the idea that the Auditor General’s powers would be reduced by the 20th Amendment. “One of the false claims being made is that the 19th Amendment set up an Audit Commission and that the 20th Amendment seeks to abolish it. What the 19th Amendment made provision for was not an Audit Commission but only an Audit Service Commission.

The Audit Service Commission does not carry out any auditing functions. It handles matters like the appointment, promotion, transfer and disciplinary control of members of the State Audit Service. Usually such matters pertaining to government servants are dealt with by the Public Service Commission.

• Audit Service Commission does not carry out any auditing functions
• Even the Office of former Presidents is listed as a separate government department