The International Monetary Fund has informed the government that the process of levying surcharges on government officials involved in financial irregularities should be established before June 30. Establishing this process is a strong condition of the fund.
Earlier, it was proposed that the Attorney General would take steps to levy surcharges on the recommendation of the Auditor General. However, by now, the situation has changed and it has been proposed that the Auditor General’s recommendation be submitted to an independent committee appointed by the Legislative Council and necessary steps be taken.
A retired Supreme Court judge is to be appointed as the head of this independent committee, which will not have representation from the National Audit Office. It has been proposed that the committee should consist of five members, including a retired officer in the public finance sector and an officer from the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
This process applies to officials of ministries, departments, corporations, boards and state-owned companies. Under the current legal framework, the Auditor General can only recommend surcharges for a limited number of institutions, including local government institutions and universities.