Inferior quality coal purchase Contract to procure coal signed without AG’s approval

The contract with Trident Champhr had been signed on November 19, 2025, despite the approval by the Attorney General being due on November 20, 2025

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana  

A contract to procure coal was signed with Trident Chemphar Limited without obtaining the approval of the Attorney General, according to a report by the Auditor General investigating the alleged fraud.  

“The contract with Trident Champhr had been signed on November 19, 2025, despite the approval by the Attorney General being due on November 20, 2025,” the Auditor General’s report presented to Parliament said.  

The report also revealed that Trident Champhr was not registered at the time it entered into an agreement with the Sri Lankan government.  

The Auditor General’s report further revealed that the total estimated losses incurred from inferior-quality coal amount to Rs 2,237.70 million (Rs 2.2 billion). The loss from the first shipment was Rs 163.5 million, while the second shipment resulted in a loss of Rs 94.6 million. Losses from subsequent shipments were Rs 310.7 million (third), Rs 155.9 million (fourth), Rs 179.1 million (fifth), Rs 299 million (sixth), Rs 245.7 million (seventh), Rs 392.5 million (eighth), and Rs. 396.6 million (ninth). The report stated that this Rs 2.2 billion could be recovered by demanding compensation from the coal supplier. 

The Auditor General recommended establishing a proper procedure to assess the capability of coal suppliers and setting appropriate criteria for supplier registration. Furthermore, the introduction of an independent system to verify coal quality was recommended. The report added that the control unit of the Norochcholai Power Plant should implement such a system.