CoPE faults NMRA for obstructing duties of Auditor General

• CoPE slams NMRA for requiring Auditor General to request documentation in writing 
• Says NMRA has no authority to dictate how Auditor General should carry out his responsibilities
• Auditor General threatens to pull out of NMRA audit if access to documents is continuously refused 
• CoPE instructs NMRA to reverse decision requiring written requests to be made

The officials of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority were accused of obstructing the duties of the Auditor General and failing to provide documentation requested by him at the sitting of the Committee on Public Enterprises (CoPE) in parliament yesterday. 

Officials from the NMRA were summoned before the Committee on Public Enterprises (CoPE) for an investigation into allegations of corruption, fraud, and irregularities.

Accordingly the Secretary to the Ministry of Health Janaka Sri Chandraguptha, NMRA Chairman Prof. S.D. Jayaratne, NMRA Director General Dr. Vijith Gunasekera and board members along with senior officials appeared before the CoPE. 

Addressing the officials, CoPE Chairman Prof. Ranjith Bandara noted that they were summoned at the behest of the Auditor General W.P.C. Wickramaratne. 

It was noted by Bandara that the board of the NMRA in August had decided the Audit Office must request all documents required via writing. 

"Who does the Auditor General answer to?" Bandara inquired of the NMRA Chairman. The CoPE Chairman questioned the NMRA's authority to dictate how the Auditor General should carry out his responsibilities, as he is solely accountable to Parliament. The CoPE stressed that the NMRA has no authority to violate constitutional powers granted to the Auditor General. 

When questioned by the CoPE whether the Secretary to the Ministry of Health was aware of the NMRA's decision, Chandraguptha asserted that he had consistently informed the agencies under his jurisdiction about the Auditor General's constitutional powers and had urged them to comply with them. He claimed the NMRA had not communicated to him the decision to require the Auditor General to make written requests for documentation.

While the NMRA officials were also questioned regarding their failure to provide specific documents, despite receiving requests for them on more than five occasions, a visibly irked Auditor General informed the CoPE that he is unwilling to cooperate with the audit of the NMRA due to concerns regarding the authority's actions as it has posed many challenges in continuing his audit work.

Despite NMRA officials' attempts to argue that the decision was merely to keep a record of files taken by the audit office, Bandara refuted this by citing the NMRA board's explicit decision, which stated that requests for documents must be submitted in writing to the authority.

CoPE members accused the NMRA of attempting to block the Auditor General from inquiring into irregularities in the emergency purchase process. However, officials of the NMRA vehemently denied there was any attempt to not cooperate and provide the information requested.

Nevertheless, the CoPE instructed the NMRA to promptly reverse the decision made in August, as it was deemed to be in violation of the constitution and posed a threat to the independence of the Auditor General. The NMRA was also directed to appear before the CoPE on a date as decided by the Auditor General when requested to do so.

Instructions were also issued to the Secretary of the Ministry of Health, directing him to issue a circular to all agencies under his purview to cooperate with the Auditor General.