A special audit has claimed mass fuel abuse and an unapproved 800% salary hike in parliament

A special audit of Sri Lanka’s Parliament claims that a former Speaker’s fuel usage averaged 3,994 litres a month in 2023 and 6,122 litres in 2024.

This represented a 66% and 155% monthly increase over 2022, costing Rs. 19.37 million in 2023 and Rs. 26.04 million in 2024.

The report, which did not name the individuals it implicated, was prepared by the Auditor General’s Department, and found the Secretary-General’s basic salary grew 800% over 22 years without parliamentary sanction.

Background

In April 2025, Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne requested the Auditor General to audit Parliamentary expenditure over the decade preceding the National People’s Power government.

The request followed concerns raised by government MPs alleging questionable spending in the 8th and 9th Parliaments.

The Speaker's office noted that prior audits by private firms compromised overall transparency regarding state funds.

Secretary-General

The basic salary of Parliament's Secretary-General rose by 800% over 22 years without required sanction under Article 65(2) of the Constitution.

Parliament failed to apply standard administrative circulars and permitted unapproved perks.

The Secretary-General also ran two official cars without fuel limits from 2022 to 2024, using 15,063 litres costing Rs. 6.07M—exceeding a Ministry Secretary limit by 2,300 litres annually.

Bypassing Laws

The audit revealed Parliament manages finances and staffing under the Parliamentary Staff Act No. 09 of 1953, ignoring modern public standards.

By relying on this 70-year-old law instead of the Public Financial Management Act No. 44 of 2024, Parliament bypassed national rules to grant unapproved perks and extra salary increments.

The report recommended amending or repealing the outdated 1953 Act.

Foreign Tours

Between 2016 and 2024, Parliament spent Rs. 208.9 million sending 451 MPs on foreign tours via affiliated bodies.

A further Rs. 56.9 million was spent sending 115 staff members on 83 international trips.

Auditors noted that Parliament failed to adopt national circulars requiring returning delegates to submit reports or share acquired expertise, leaving the hefty expenditure completely unmonitored.