The report of the Finance Committee on obtaining online visa and passport application services between the Sri Lankan Immigration and Emigration Department and the Group of Institutions was presented to Parliament today (12) in the morning.
The chairman of that committee, Dr. Harsha de Silva, said that this report is being presented amid many challenges.
He disclosed that the Secretary General of the Parliament was called to this committee amid his objections and that he was severely ridiculed by some people.
Herein, the group of organizations is referred to as GBS as the authorized agency for online submission of visa applications. Technology Services and I.V.S. Global – F.Z.CO. V.F. as company and technical partner. Worldwide Holdings Ltd.
He said that the Finance Committee was of the view that the absence of a competitive bidding process in procuring services for this group of institutions was an obstacle for the Immigration Department to obtain the best value for money.
Thus, in addition to the significant issues identified in the procurement process, there are several major unresolved issues.
- Unclear Charge Structure: Charges are non-transparent including discrepancies in service charges and availability of facility charges.
- Data Disclosure and Termination: The existence of a data breach capable of triggering a termination clause requires further investigation.
- Conflicting exclusivity: The exclusivity granted to the concerned companies is against the continuity of the existing service providers.
- Uninvested Funds: A record provision of US$ 200 million remains uninvested and unexplained. Accordingly, the Finance Committee has made the following recommendations.
- 1 The Committee recommends that the Auditor General conduct a comprehensive forensic audit of the entire procurement process using the data provided in this report. In the meeting of the Committee on Government Finance (COPF) held on 04 June 2024, it was revealed that the Auditor General has already started such an audit. The committee requested that the audit be completed expeditiously.
The findings should be considered as the basis for determining the necessary action. Such actions may include terminating the outsourcing agreement with the companies or amending specific clauses therein.
5.2 The Committee on Public Safety to review the KPMG report (as per section 3.5.5 of this report) and to take prompt and decisive action to ensure the full safety and security of all data handled through the visa application process obtained through the electronic passport system Recommends to the Ministry, Department of Immigration and Immigration and Sri Lanka Data Protection Authority.
