The Sri Lankan government is expected to nominate Colonel O.R Rajasinghe as the Auditor General, in a move which is considered to undermine the independence of the office and further militarisation of government institutions.
The post of Auditor General has remained vacant since 8 April, and the constitutional council has rejected previous nominees proposed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake due to multiple conflicts of interest and concerns that the independence of the office would be compromised.
Earlier recommendations, H.T.P. Chandana,H.D. Dharmapala and L.S.I. Jayaratne were rejected amid growing scrutiny over the independence and integrity of the auditing process within the public sector.
The Professional National Front (PNF) released a statement expressing "deep concern" over the nomination of a serving military officer to the post. The PNF stated the President aims to appoint a "political friend" to the position, which will undermine the transparency and independence of the office. The statement also questioned the expertise and competence of Rajasinghe, whose previous audit role was at one institution, serving as the Officiating Director of Directorate of Internal Audit for the Army.
Commentors noted how in previous years the Auditor General has flagged the Military for financial waste, mismanagement and political corruption and that the appointment of a serving military official undermines the trust placed in a public institution.
Army is one of the entities that have been repeatedly flagged by Auditor General for financial waste, mismanagement and potential corruption. How can a serving army officer be trusted lead an institution tasked with placing these shortcomings of army in public domain ? Pls see https://t.co/NvTCb1stT0
— Ambika Satkunanathan (@ambikasat) December 16, 2025