A State audit has uncovered a series of irregularities involving unrestricted fuel allocations and excessive expenditure during Sri Lanka’s 8th and 9th Parliaments.
According to the audit, fuel had been issued without limits to several senior parliamentary office-holders, including the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Deputy Chairman of Committees and Secretary-General of Parliament, particularly during the final two years of the 9th Parliament, which commenced in 2019.
The report revealed that the Speaker alone consumed 3,994 litres of fuel in 2023 and 6,122 litres in 2024, representing increases of 66% and 155%, respectively, compared with 2022.
The audit stated that the Deputy Speaker had been provided fuel without restriction on the basis that the office carried privileges equivalent to those of a non-Cabinet Minister.
The Deputy Chairman of Committees, although holding an office ranked below that of the Deputy Speaker, had also been provided fuel without limits, according to the report.
Annual expenditure on fuel amounted to Rs. 19,373,866 in 2023 and Rs. 26,045,103 in 2024, representing a significant increase compared with other years, the audit noted.
Although the Deputy Speaker is entitled to privileges equivalent to those of a non-Cabinet Minister, the audit found that fuel had been provided without adhering to the prescribed limits.
In addition to three official vehicles allocated to the Deputy Speaker, 21,299 litres of fuel valued at Rs. 8,545,037 had been provided above the permitted limit for a private vehicle during 2023 and 2024.
The audit further found that fuel allocations for vehicles officially provided by Parliament had exceeded prescribed limits by 6,980 litres in 2023 and 1,515 litres in 2024.
Three official vehicles had also been allocated to the Deputy Chairman of Committees, with fuel supplied without limits or adequate controls, according to the report.
The audit found that the Secretary-General of Parliament had simultaneously used two official vehicles during 2022 and 2023, with both vehicles being operated during the same periods.
Between 2022 and 2024, the Secretary-General consumed 15,063 litres of fuel valued at Rs. 6,071,690. The audit said this was 2,300 litres above the annual fuel entitlement of a Ministry Secretary, who is entitled to the highest fuel allowance within the public service.
The audit also observed that senior parliamentary officials, including the Deputy Secretary-General, Assistant Secretaries-General and heads of departments, had been granted unrestricted or additional mileage allowances for private travel under arrangements not generally available to public officials.
The amount charged for private travel exceeding the permitted mileage had been set at Rs. 8 per kilometre, substantially below prevailing market fuel costs.
As a result, the Government had lost Rs. 2,712,995 from just two Assistant Secretaries-General between September 2015 and June 2022, the audit found.
However, the report noted that from July 2022, charges for vehicle use exceeding the permitted limit were adjusted in line with market fuel prices. Following the change, vehicle use beyond the prescribed limits declined significantly.
