Sri Lanka has world’s lowest paid Auditor General

Sri Lanka had the lowest paid Auditor General in the world, which was an insult to such a high office, UNP MP Eran Wickremeratne and financial analyst said.

He told The Island that the office of Auditor General (AG) was a constitutional position responsible to Parliament and similar to that of the Chief Justice, but he was paid around Rs45,000, while there were at least three others in the AGs Department who earned more than he.

The AG audited salaries of public servants who drew between Rs600,000 and Rs200,000 and exposed fraud and corruption. Even Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) acted on his reports, but the holder of such an important office was being paid a pittance. Such anomalies had arisen due to improper referencing of the AG to non-Constitutional officials, the MP observed.

The single most important office through which Parliament exercised control over finance was the AG. As such, it had a duty to safeguard his independence, MP Wickremaratne said, adding that Article 153 recognised the constitutional position of the AG and defined his duties and functions.

Wickremeratne noted that since Article 148 had given Parliament full control over public finances, it should determine the AG’s Salary.

The government had undermined the AG’s independence through the abolition of the 17th Amendment. Due to Parliament abdicating its responsibility in proposing salary revisions to the Auditor General, the Executive’s dominance over the legislature would increase further, the MP pointed out.

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