COPA expresses strong dissatisfaction with DMT officials for appearing unprepared

The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) has expressed strong dissatisfaction towards the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) for appearing before the committee without prior preparation.

Accordingly, the officials who were present were sent back with instructions to appear on a future date, after being duly informed and adequately prepared.

This occurred during a meeting of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) held recently at the Parliament under the Chairmanship of Member of Parliament Aravinda Senarath. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Auditor General’s reports for the years 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, as well as the department’s current performance, the Parliamentary Communications Department said in a statement.

During the meeting, the committee inquired into the implementation of directives issued during previous meetings. In particular, the Auditor General had presented 25 observations regarding illegal vehicle registrations that had taken place prior to the integration with the Customs computer system. The Committee expected a report detailing the investigations conducted on these matters and the disciplinary actions taken against the responsible officials. However, the Auditor General pointed out that such a report had not been submitted, the statement added.

It further stated that although the officials present claimed that a report had been provided, the Auditor General stated that he had not received it. A copy of the purported report was tabled during the session, but upon examination, the Auditor General informed the Committee that it was entirely unsatisfactory. As a result, the Committee conducted an extensive inquiry into the matter, but the officials failed to provide satisfactory responses. They stated that they did not possess the relevant information dating back.

In response, the Committee expressed strong dissatisfaction of the officials’ conduct and decided to summon the department again at a later date. The officials were also instructed to be thoroughly prepared when appearing before the committee on the next occasion, the statement said.

This meeting was attended by Deputy Ministers and committee members, including Major General (Rtd.) Aruna Jayasekera, Sugath Thilakaratne, Chandana Sooriyaarachchi, Sagarika Athauda, Attorney at Law, Oshani Umanga, Susantha Kumara Nawarathna, Dr. Janaka Senarathna, Dinindu Saman and Lal Premanath, as well as state officials, according to the Parliamentary Communications Department.