- Dr. Siyambalapitiya dismisses allegation
The Electricity Consumers’ Association (ECA) has lodged a complaint with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), calling for an investigation into an alleged conflict of interest involving the Chairperson of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya.
In the complaint addressed to the CIABOC, the General Secretary of the ECA, Sanjeewa Dhammika claimed that a particular private company, which provides consultancy services, is owned by Dr. Siyambalapitiya, and that the said company has been providing services to the CEB, even after he (Dr. Siyambalapitiya) assumed the role as the CEB Chairperson in September 2024.
"This company, which was registered as a service provider to the CEB prior to his appointment, continued to receive contracts under his Chairmanship. One of the most recent projects is a consultancy contract for the Ministry of Energy, which was funded by the World Bank. The report for that contract was released last month (in March). The provision of such services while holding the top position at the CEB raises concerns of a conflict of interest and possible corruption," Dhammika pointed out.
The ECA's complaint further stated that the relevant company has also been providing services to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL). ECA stated: "In addition to the Energy Ministry, this company has been providing services to the PUCSL. There have also been incidents when this Company was blacklisted by the PUCSL due to the non-completion of projects."
When contacted by The Daily Morning, the PUCSL’s Director of Communications, Jayanath Herath said that while the company referred to by the ECA had provided services to the PUCSL on a few projects in the past, it was however not currently engaged in any work with the Commission.
In response to a query by The Daily Morning regarding the allegation, Dr. Siyambalapitiya said: "Yes. I was the Managing Director of (the company in question), until I resigned in late September 2024. The company is not a service provider to the CEB."