Harsha demands for EPF’s audited accounts again
28 February 2014 09:13 am
United National Party Parliamentarian and economist, Dr.Harsha de Silva yesterday once again raised the issue of non-submission of audited accounts of Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) —the largest superannuation fund controlled by the Central Bank—to the Parliament for the year 2011.
“This is a serious lapse in governance and transparency particularly given the numerous allegations of fraud connected to the EPF and the stock market mafia,” de Silva said in a statement.
The UNP first raised this issue in early 2012 and followed up during the year and then throughout 2013 both inside and out of Parliament.
“On my continued insistence as a member of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) the EPF was summoned to Parliament in early February 2013 for the first time in six years to examine its accounts up to 2010.
However, the committee was abruptly adjourned before the substantial issues of fraud were taken up,” he noted.
MP de Silva expressed his disappointment over the non-returning of EPF to complete the COPA investigation for over one year notwithstanding numerous reminders submitted to the COPA office chaired by a Cabinet minister.
“In true democracies parliamentary committees are not chaired by cabinet ministers but by the opposition; and even in Sri Lanka that was the practice under the previous UNP government.
On behalf of the millions of employees of the private sector the UNP demands that the EPF urgently submit its accounts for 2011 as well as for 2012 and take necessary steps to have the 2013 accounts submitted on time,” he noted.
The parliamentarian also demanded to re-summon the abruptly adjourned investigation without further delay.