'SCRUTINY OF CONTROVERSIAL EPF AUDIT REPORTS HALTED'

I have requested the parliamentary authorities to resume the examination of EPF accounts due to allegations about irregularities and frauds involving the investment of its savings by the Central Bank

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has abruptly stopped the examination of audit reports of the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF), the United National Party (UNP) charged yesterday.

UNP National List MP Dr. Harsha de Silva, a PAC member himself, told Daily Mirror that he had requested the parliamentary authorities to resume the examina- tion of EPF accounts due to allegations about irregularities and frauds involving the investment of its savings by the Central Bank.

Dr. de Silva said the PAC had summoned relevant officials of the EPF in February for inquiries into the matter, but nothing had been done about it since then.

"Last week, I requested the parliamentary authorities to summon them again because this is a Fund with savings worth one tril- lion rupees belonging to employees," he said. Dr. de Silva said Sri Lanka was probably the only commonwealth country where the PAC was headed by a government minister.

"This duty has to be assigned to the opposition. I am willing to accept the chairmanship of this committee to help achieve its real objective," he said.

The PAC presented its report to Parliament last Thursday two days after the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) submitted its report, after examining the accounts of ministries and departments up to only 2011.