National Audit Office crippled by leadership vacancy

The prolonged delay in appointing a permanent Auditor General has disrupted the issuance of audit reports and inquiries, raising concerns over transparency, oversight, and the management of public and foreign-funded projects..

The post has been unfilled for nearly ten months, marking the first extended vacancy in the country’s history.

The absence of a permanent Auditor-General has stalled many core functions of the National Audit Office, including audits of government programs and externally funded initiatives.

Auditor-General W.P.C. Wickramaratne retired on April 8 last year.

Senior Deputy Auditor-General Dharmapala Gammanpila was appointed acting Auditor-General on April 9, but his tenure ended on December 6, leaving the office without permanent leadership.

Gammanpila, a career auditor with more than three decades of experience, had been recommended for confirmation by the Constitutional Council during his acting term, but the appointment was never finalised.

Since then, representatives from audit and public service associations have petitioned president Anura Kumara Dissanayake to confirm Gammanpila.

During this period, the president submitted four alternative candidates, all of whom were rejected by the Constitutional Council.

Traditionally, the senior-most official in the National Audit Office is confirmed as Auditor-General.

( Source: lankaleader.lk)