Appointment of new Auditor General Final decision to be made today

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana  

The Constitutional Council which met yesterday to approve the appointment of the new Auditor General has decided to meet today once again to make the final decision, Daily Mirror learnt from reliable sources.   

This decision has been made as some members of the Constitutional Council have been of the opinion that the person who has been nominated to the post is not sufficiently competent for the post.   

Earlier opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekara revealed in Parliament that the President has nominated a director attached to Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) as the new Auditor General. “The nomination has been made outside the normal tradition,” the MP said.  “There is a hierarchy in the Auditor General’s Department. Accordingly, the most senior officer who is next to the outgoing Auditor General has to be nominated and appointed for the post. However, the President has nominated someone outside the department for the post and has thus gone out of the tradition, “he said.  

At the same time the unions have highlighted that it is possible to nominate an outsider only if there is no person with right qualifications within the Auditor General’s Department. Also, they said outsiders have been appointed to the post only twice.  The Sri Lanka Audit Services Union, Association of State Assistant Auditors Union and State Auditors Union have made a written request to this effect from the President.