• The National Audit Office has been without an AG or an Acting AG since 7 December

The Presidential Secretariat stated that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake would submit a fresh nomination for the post of Auditor General (AG) in the coming days, following the rejection of several earlier nominees by the Constitutional Council (CC).

When inquiries were made by The Daily Morning, Presidential Chief of Staff Ananda Wijepala said the President was aware of the need of filling the vacancy and would put forward another suitable candidate. "The country needs an AG. Previous nominations have been rejected by the CC. The President will make another nomination in the coming days."

The National Audit Office (NAO) has been without an AG or an Acting AG since 7 December. The most recent rejection came on 17 December, when the CC voted down the nomination of O.R. Rajasinghe, the Internal Audit Director of the Sri Lanka Army. At the meeting, chaired by Speaker and CC Chairperson, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, four members voted in favour of the nominee, while five voted against.

Responding earlier to questions on the delay, Cabinet Spokesperson Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said that some members of the CC had rejected the President’s recommendations without providing reasons.

“The country needs an AG. That is why the President has proposed the names of qualified individuals. The CC should take a decision on them,” Jayatissa told the media last week, adding that certain members, including three civil society representatives, had opposed the nominations without explanation.

Following the retirement of Auditor General W.P.C. Wickramaratne, the President initially nominated H.T.P. Chandana, an audit officer at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, but the CC rejected the nomination. The next senior-most official at the NAO, Dharmapala Gammanpila, was then appointed Acting AG for six months. A subsequent nomination of Senior Deputy Auditor General L.S.I. Jayarathne to serve in an acting capacity was also rejected.

In total, the President’s recommendations for the post have been rejected three times since the retirement of the previous AG, leaving the position substantively vacant since April, 2025.

Several organisations, including the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) and Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chair Dr. Harsha de Silva, have urged the President to appoint an AG without further delay, warning the prolonged vacancy has disrupted the work of the NAO and undermined public financial oversight.

Article 153 of the Constitution provides that an AG, must be a qualified auditor, who shall be appointed by the President subject to the approval of the CC.