Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), Janaka Rathnayake has highlighted violations of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Act pertaining to the appointment of Kushan Jayasuriya as a member of the PUCSL.
Issuing a statement, Rathnayake said that the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Mahinda Siriwardena has misled the Minister in charge and the Constitutional Council of the Parliament on the appointment and had also violated the PUCSL Act.
He stated that Kushan Jayasuriya, who is connected to a company related to the electricity industry, was recently appointed as a member of the Commission which Jayasuriya has accepted through an affidavit even though there is a clear violation of the PUCSL Act.
Rathnayake said that it is a violation of Section 5 (2) G of the Act which states that a Person shall be disqualified from being appointed, or continuing as a member of the Commission if he or she or a connected person, has any financial or other interest amounting to a conflict of interest, directly or indirectly, in any company or undertaking which carries on any public utilities industry.
The PUCSL Chairman said that he had informed the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance in a letter dated February 14, 2023, that a person with a conflict of interest cannot be appointed as a member of the Commission, adding that the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance has acted to recall the appointment letter.
Rathnayake pointed out that, however, the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance does not have the authority to recall an appointment letter in that way.
The PUCSL Chairman added that he has decided to take legal action to ensure that such illegal activities in violation of the PUCSL Act will not take place in the future. (NewsWire)
