Ravi K alleges AG incompetent

Implying that the stance maintained by the Auditor General on the report on the bond issue stemmed from his inability to carry out the duties assigned to him, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake yesterday defended his actions in calling for the report on bond issuances from the Auditor General.

 “I called for the report to respond to inquiries made by the Government.

 When I wrote asking for the report it was not for the world to be informed but it should have been given to me. If the report has gone to outsiders before it reaches me I have to ask questions,» Karunanayake told journalists yesterday.

He was responding to a question raised on his criticism of the Auditor General during the parliamentary debate on the Committee on Public Enterprises report on the controversial bond issue.

Presenting the report requested by the Finance Minister, Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe regretted the persistence and continuous reminders sent by the Karunanayake, claiming that the moves prevented him from properly carrying out his duties.

He also said that the Finance Minister’s insistence on obtaining the report quickly did not allow him to dedicate sufficient time to fully studying the issue before preparing the report.

However, the Minister highlighted that he was not questioning the integrity of the Auditor General but requested the methodology used to prepare his report on the bond issuance.