Speaker requests an audit of parliamentary expenses

By Indika Sri Aravinda   

Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne has requested the Auditor General to conduct an audit of parliamentary expenditures over the past decade under two successive administrations, citing transparency concerns.  
The Auditor General has already been notified to urgently submit an audit report on the matter. This decision follows concerns raised about questionable expenditure patterns during the 8th and 9th Parliaments, with which the Speaker expressed dissatisfaction.   
During this period, parliamentary audits were conducted by several private institutions, which the Speaker’s Office notes resulted in compromised transparency regarding expenditures.   
Accordingly, the Speaker has already begun taking steps to eliminate all unnecessary parliamentary expenses.