A bombshell exposé by the Jana Aragala Movement reveals a Rs. 50.7 million tender scandal where one plug base per Divisional Secretariat is priced at an outrageous Rs. 72,517. Allegations link the deal to businessman Ishara Nanayakkara and point to a major misuse of public funds under the digital ID project, undermining public trust in the National People’s Power government. With local tech officers available and cheaper bids ignored, this raises urgent questions about corruption, cronyism, and national data sovereignty.
The Jana Aragala Movement has raised serious allegations against a procurement deal involving Browns Engineering, a company linked to businessman Ishara Nanayakkara. According to Wasantha Mudalige, the movement alleges that a contract worth over Rs. 50 million was awarded to Browns Engineering to supply plug base units to 700 Divisional Secretariat offices across Sri Lanka, each at a staggering cost of Rs. 72,000.
Speaking at a press briefing in Colombo, Mudalige questioned how the tender for these plug units was awarded to the highest bidder, ignoring significantly lower-priced submissions. The procurement relates to the newly introduced digital identity card initiative, under which each Divisional Secretariat office is to be equipped with a plug base setup to power devices used in the digital identification process.
According to Mudalige, the ordered setup includes eight-plug wire cords, a plug top, and a plastic cover box. Eight companies reportedly submitted bids for this supply, ranging from Rs. 5,890 to Rs. 83,000. Despite more cost-effective options, Browns Engineering, which quoted Rs. 72,517 per unit, won the bid.
He claimed that Browns Engineering is owned by Ishara Nanayakkara, an influential businessman known for ties to high-level figures in the government. Mudalige pointed out that under the awarded contract, the government will pay Rs. 507 lakhs for 700 plug units.
To highlight the alleged overpricing, Mudalige broke down the cost of assembling such a unit. According to his calculations, eight plug bases cost Rs. 5,600, five meters of wire cost Rs. 1,000, a plug top Rs. 400, and a plastic box Rs. 4,000. In total, he estimated that such a unit could be made for around Rs. 11,000. Even with a generous allowance for transport up to Rs. 20,000 for remote areas like Jaffna, the total cost per unit would be around Rs. 31,000, less than half of the awarded tender amount.
Mudalige further argued that each Divisional Secretariat already has a technical officer who could easily install the unit, eliminating the need for external installation costs. He stated that if the government had opted for this route, the total cost for the 700 units would have been just Rs. 7.7 million. Alternatively, they could have awarded the contract to one of the lower bidders.
The activist alleged that this deal indicates a troubling trend of corruption and backroom dealings, even under a government elected on promises of transparency, anti-corruption, and good governance. He called on the administration to honor the trust placed in them by the people and to cancel the questionable tender immediately.
Mudalige urged a thorough investigation into how the contract was awarded to Browns Engineering at such an inflated rate and demanded accountability from all parties involved. He further suggested that the government should instead use its internal technical officers or award the project to the lowest credible bidder to ensure public funds are not wasted.
He concluded by reiterating that the people had placed their hopes in the National People’s Power government to break from the corrupt practices of the past, and that failing to address such glaring issues would be a betrayal of that mandate.
