Chairman of the COPE, MP Prof. Charitha Herath, stated that Parliament will prioritize taking specific action against officials who disregard COPE’s recommendations and decisions. He brought up this during a special Committee on Public Enterprises hearing that took place in Parliament on Monday.
The meeting included participation from the committee’s members, and opinions on three key problems were gathered from them. As a result, at the meeting, the evaluation of the advancement achieved in relation to COPE investigations undertaken between February 23, 2022, and the present was taken into consideration. As a result, the COPE Chairman said that a report summarizing the inquiries made during this time had been produced, and copies of the report had been distributed to the committee’s members.
The decisions pertaining to a number of institutions, such as SriLankan Airlines, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, the State Timber Corporation, the People’s Bank, the Development Lotteries Board, the Building Materials Corporation, Litro Gas Lanka Limited, and Litro Gas Terminal Lanka (Private) Limited were included in the report, he continued. The committee’s chairman further noted that these institutions had not yet provided the committee with several reports relevant to decisions that they had made. The current members of parliament emphasized the need for harsh punishment for the authorities who fail to carry out these orders. They emphasized the need for the committee and the parliament to take more action in this area. The members said that the general public should be aware that this is a location that serves essential purposes beyond media programs or limiting itself to idle conversation.
As a result, the Committee Chairman declared that the Committee is operating in accordance with the legislative authority granted by the Constitution and the Standing Orders. Additionally, he noted that major institutions that have been identified would be contacted again and that in the future, Parliament will take specific actions.
