Sajith orders independent PwC, E&Y audit at Ministries of Housing and Samurdhi to detect fraud

By Waruni Paranagamage
An independent and impartial audit investigation into possible corruption and bribery that has taken place at the Ministries of Housing and Samurdhi during the rule of the previous Government was ordered by Housing and Samurdhi Minister Sajith Premadasa, according to Ministry sources.
The order, made to the Ministry’s Secretary, included all institutes falling under the Ministry’s purview. Reputed audit firms Ernst and Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers will carry out the investigation.
According to the Ministry, investigations into the Ministry of Housing will be carried out by Ernst and Young while PricewaterhouseCoopers will handle investigations dealing with the Ministry of Samurdhi.

The inquiries will cover the Department of Buildings, state factory enterprises and government authorities namely the National Housing Development Authority, the Urban Development Authority and the Ocean View Development Company.
Furthermore, the probe will also extend towards the State Engineering Corporation, State Development and Construction Corporation and other corporations coming under the Ministry.
PricewaterhouseCoopers will identify the illegal transactions which occurred at the Department of Samurdhi Commissioner General, Department of Upcountry Peasantry Rehabilitation, Samurdhi Authority under the Divi Neguma Program, Sri Lanka Southern Development Authority and Udarata Development Authority during the previous Government’s reign.
The Ministry revealed that most corruption had been reported within the Department of Samurdhi.
The audit aims to create a path towards legal action against the large-scale corruption which is alleged to have occurred at both Ministries and ensure fair transactions in the future, helping to effectively channel the country’s resources towards the eradication of poverty.