• To be handed over to COPF: Wijepala

The special audit report on Sri Lanka’s controversial e-visa contract is set to be submitted to the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) within a week, according to Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala.

His announcement provides the latest update on the high-profile investigation into the deal, which resulted in a massive public outcry and recent arrest of former Controller General of Immigration and Emigration Harsha Illukpitiya. 

Illukpitiya was recently sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for contempt of court for his failure to comply with a Supreme Court interim order that mandated the suspension of the controversial new e-visa system and the reinstatement of the previous mechanism.

The special audit, undertaken by the Auditor General, became necessary after an initial request for a forensic audit was declined.

Minister Wijepala, clarifying the administrative shift in the investigation, said: “The COPF had requested a forensic audit from the Auditor General, but the Auditor General had said they were not able to perform a forensic audit and instead undertook to perform a special audit.”

“They then sent it to the Immigration Department for observation; the department is now preparing to send the audit report to the COPF within a week,” he added.

The Minister confirmed that the Immigration Department had received the report. “I have still not observed the report, but Immigration has received it. The COPF will notify Parliament of the next steps once it receives the report,” he said.

The audit was ordered following a major scandal over the awarding of the e-visa contract to a private consortium without a proper tender process. Critics and petitioners, including Opposition politicians, alleged the deal had led to exorbitant fees for tourists and a significant financial loss to the country.