Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe has rejected portions of the Auditor General’s report on the coal procurement process, claiming that several findings and conclusions contained in the document are inaccurate and unacceptable.

Speaking during a televised political programme on Monday (20), the Minister criticised observations made in the report relating to the procurement process, particularly assertions concerning company registration requirements.

Samarasinghe said certain sections of the report were erroneous, noting that while the report states registration should have been completed at the time bids were called, a letter issued by the National Procurement Commission in August 2025 had clarified that the relevant registration could be obtained by the time bids were finalised.

He further claimed that the report had been prepared without examining some internal documents, which had resulted in problematic conclusions.

The Minister also said the report did not definitively state that fraud had taken place at any stage, but instead referred only to possible scenarios and assumptions.

Reaffirming the Government’s position, Samarasinghe said no financial fraud or irregularity had occurred in the process and that suppliers for 2026 had been selected transparently in line with proper procurement procedures.

Responding to allegations over financial deposits, he said the matter was a technical issue rather than an act of fraud.

According to the Minister, attempts had been made through the audit report to suggest that payments had not been made properly due to discrepancies in deposit amounts. However, he said the issue in reality related only to a minor financial variation identified at the point documents were obtained and transactions were carried out.

He stressed that he was not claiming the entire Auditor General’s report was flawed, but rather that some findings and conclusions within it were incorrect.

Commenting on the no-confidence motion brought by the Opposition, Samarasinghe said it was an expected move and expressed confidence that the Government would defeat it with a majority vote.

He added that the National People’s Power Government follows a zero-tolerance policy towards fraud and corruption, and therefore he did not believe any wrongdoing had taken place in the procurement process.

Samarasinghe also said the coal procurement controversy was part of a longer history dating back to 2009, adding that the true situation would become clear to the public in due course.