The no-confidence motion filed by opposition Members of Parliament against Minister of Energy Kumara Jayakody is scheduled to be debated in Parliament today (10).

The motion was handed over to the Speaker on 19 March by the joint opposition, led by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), citing alleged failures in the management of the country’s energy sector.

According to the motion, the Minister has failed to exercise the powers vested in him under the Constitution to ensure effective oversight of the sector, particularly in relation to the procurement of sufficient and quality coal for the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant in Norochcholai.

The opposition has argued that the alleged failure to secure adequate and quality coal supplies has undermined the functioning of a critical national energy asset, amounting to a serious breach of ministerial responsibility.

The motion further notes that Jayakody has been formally charged before the Colombo High Court by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) under Section 70 of the Bribery Act, over an alleged act of corruption during his tenure as Procurement Manager of the Ceylon Fertilizer Company Limited.