Sri Lanka’s Parliament was rocked by shocking revelations as MP D.V. Chanaka exposed a billion-dollar coal tender fraud, accusing authorities of manipulating international procurement rules to benefit corrupt allies. The controversy deepened when the chairman, refusing to sign the tender, abruptly resigned after hiding for a week.
MP D.V. Chanaka, addressing Parliament, alleged that the coal import tender had been carried out in violation of international procurement guidelines. Typically, global tenders are given a six-week period for submissions, but in this case, Cabinet Paper No. 78/2025P first reduced the period to five weeks, and later the National Procurement Commission cut it further to three weeks, citing coal shortages.
Chanaka pointed out that the tender process was deliberately delayed by one and a half months and then extended for six months to a company that had previously been accused of corruption. He insisted that awarding such a massive tender within a mere three-week period was highly irregular and designed to benefit a friendly party.
He further revealed that performance bonds in the range of USD 15 million to USD 30 million are usually required for such tenders, but this process was suspiciously tailored for select interests. Adding to the drama, Chanaka disclosed that the chairman overseeing the deal had refused to sign off on it and instead submitted his resignation after staying silent for days.
Raising concerns, MP Ajith Perera questioned whether such allegations were backed by solid evidence and asked whether any minister committed to fighting corruption would allow such a blunder. Chanaka responded firmly, assuring Parliament that the government was taking steps to expose and address this billion-dollar fraud. To substantiate his claims, he tabled the gazette notification that authorized the disputed transaction.
