Contrary to an earlier communication indicating that he would be unable to attend, Treasury Secretary Harshana Suriyapperuma is scheduled to appear before the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) at 1.00 p.m. today (30).

Suriyapperuma had previously informed COPF Chair Harsha de Silva that he would not be able to appear before the Committee, citing a forthcoming statement by the President in Parliament on the matter.

However, in a reversal of that position, the Treasury Secretary is now expected to attend the session along with several senior officials of the Finance Ministry.

They have been summoned by COPF to provide explanations regarding the alleged misplacement of US$ 2.5 million in Government funds, an incident currently under investigation by multiple State agencies.

The development follows criticism over the earlier decision not to appear, with the COPF Chair stressing that appearing before the Committee is a constitutional obligation tied to Parliament’s oversight of public finance.