The announcement follows a high-profile investigation into the deal, which sparked widespread public outrage and led to the recent arrest of former Controller General of Immigration and Emigration Harsha Illukpitiya. Illukpitiya was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for contempt of court after failing to comply with a Supreme Court order to suspend the new e-visa system and reinstate the previous mechanism.
The special audit, conducted by the Auditor General, was initiated after a request for a forensic audit was declined. “The COPF had requested a forensic audit from the Auditor General, but they were unable to perform it and instead undertook a special audit,” Minister Wijepala said. “The report has been sent to the Immigration Department for observations and will be forwarded to the COPF within a week.”
The e-visa contract, awarded to a private consortium without a proper tender process, has drawn criticism from opposition politicians and petitioners who claim it resulted in excessive fees for tourists and significant financial losses to the state.
The COPF is expected to notify Parliament of the next steps once it receives the audit report.
