National Audit Bill blocked by vested interests
The Government’s efforts to curtail public corruption have become toothless due to unwarranted delay in presenting the National Audit Bill (NAB) in parliament although it was drafted 18 months ago, good governance activists alleged.
The NAB was scheduled to be presented in parliament in 2015 but it was delayed due to amendments made to the draft bill and administrative issues, official sources said.
A 3-member Cabinet Sub- Committee comprising Ministers Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Rauf Hakeem and then Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake proposed amendments to the Bill.
Thereafter Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister Charitha Ratwatte examined it and made further amendments.
The NAB was amended thrice and its original clauses became ineffective following those changes, Attorney General Department sources revealed.
There was a dispute relating to the clause which empowers the Auditor General to order a surcharge to recover losses incurred due to inappropriate decisions of public officials, these sources said.
Good governance activist and senior lawyer J.C. Weliamuna said that the NAB is still to see the light of the day owing to interference of a handful of senior officials who are blocking the passage of the NAB.
He noted that the Audit Service Commission (ASC) has been idling for over one and half years since its establishment.
But the handing over of powers of the Auditor General under a proposed amendment was a violation of the law, he said adding that the commission was set up to assist the Auditor General in administrative work, promotions, recruitments and financial matters of the department. He pointed out that the Auditor General should be independent and such a post should not come under ASC. The NAB was originally proposed in 2004 but it didn’t materialise during previous Rajapaksa regime.