On November 26 in Parliament during the Budget Committee Stage debate, an opposition lawmaker alleged that the Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne should be disqualified from serving as a Member of Parliament.
The claims were made by Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Amila Prasad Siriwardana, who alleged that two companies — Omobio (Pvt) Ltd and Eimsky Business Solutions (Pvt) Ltd — in which Deputy Minister Weeraratne serves as Chief Executive Officer, are involved in projects related to expressways managed by the Road Development Authority (RDA).
Responding during the debate, Deputy Minister Weeraratne said he had resigned from his position as CEO of both companies on the day prior to taking oaths as Deputy Minister.
He also acknowledged that he holds share ownership in the companies.
Based on these admissions, it was established that Weeraratne held executive positions in the companies at the time he was nominated as a parliamentary candidate and when he was elected as an MP.
Commenting on the matter during the debate, SJB MP Ajith P. Perera said that holding any agreement with the Government at the time of submitting nominations constitutes a disqualification from being elected to Parliament.
He noted that former MPs Rajitha Senaratne and Albert Silva had previously lost their parliamentary seats on similar grounds.
Article 91(1)(e) of the Constitution, which sets out disqualifications for parliamentary membership, states: “A person shall be disqualified from being elected or from sitting and voting in Parliament if such person has any interest in any contract made by or on behalf of the Government.”
Former Minister Rajitha Senaratne lost his parliamentary seat following allegations that a company in which he served as a director supplied dental equipment to a state institution.
At the time, then MP Dilan Perera filed a petition before the Court of Appeal seeking a ruling that Senaratne was disqualified from sitting in Parliament.
The court ruled accordingly, resulting in Senaratne losing his seat.
He was later reappointed to Parliament via the National List by then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
According to Deputy Minister Weeraratne’s declaration of assets and liabilities, signed on June 30 for the period ending March 31 this year, he continues to serve as a director of Omobio (Pvt) Ltd.
The declaration also lists him as a director of Spiceyaya (Pvt) Ltd, Spice Fortress (Pvt) Ltd, Textware (Pvt) Ltd and OmobioNG LLC-UAE, and confirms that he holds shares in these companies.
However, despite acknowledging in Parliament that he has a shareholding in Eimsky Business Solutions (Pvt) Ltd, neither his share ownership nor a directorship in that company is disclosed in the assets and liabilities declaration.
This raises questions over whether material information was omitted.
The declaration further confirms that as of March 31 this year, Weeraratne continued to serve as a director of Omobio (Pvt) Ltd, a company involved in projects on the Southern Expressway and the Colombo Outer Circular Highway.
Although he told Parliament that he had resigned from these companies upon assuming office, the declaration indicates that he continued in a directorial role even while serving as Deputy Minister.
As such, the assets and liabilities declaration submitted by Weeraratne to the Speaker itself establishes his potential disqualification from sitting in Parliament, without the need for additional evidence.
Deputy Minister Weeraratne told Parliament that the two companies cited by MP Siriwardana were awarded expressway-related projects in 2019 and are currently engaged only in software maintenance.
He said neither company has obtained new government projects since the current administration assumed office and that he had instructed the companies not to apply for any government contracts while he holds public office.
However, MP Siriwardana countered that revenue management and system control for the Southern Expressway and Outer Circular Highway are being carried out by a company owned by the Deputy Minister under a Ministry that falls within his own purview, constituting a conflict of interest and rendering the Government’s anti-corruption policy ineffective.
Meanwhile, Eimsky Business Solutions (Pvt) Ltd stated on its official Facebook page on November 24 that it extended congratulations to the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Digital Economy, the National Transport Commission, and all interprovincial and provincial private bus operators.
The post marked the official launch of a digital ticketing system for private buses using bank cards — a project implemented by the company.
The company said it was proud to be the technology enabler behind the initiative, noting that within a short period it had successfully connected 25 routes and 20 buses, with further expansions planned.
This indicates that after the current Government came to power, a company in which Deputy Minister Weeraratne holds shares has secured a new government contract.
This contract is separate from the earlier expressway-related agreements entered into prior to his entry into politics.
Unlike expressway projects, which fall under the RDA, the digital bus ticketing initiative falls under the purview of the National Transport Commission and provincial passenger transport authorities.
Notably, the company’s Facebook post makes no reference to the RDA.
This suggests that the digital ticketing project is not a continuation of prior software maintenance work, as claimed, but a newly awarded contract under the current administration.
Further concerns arise from the fact that no public procurement appears to have been called by either the Ministry of Transport or the National Transport Commission for this project.
According to the Government procurement portal Promise.lk, there is no record of a tender or contract award related to this initiative.
Deputy Minister Weeraratne entered Parliament via the National People’s Power (NPP) National List, which was gazetted on October 11, 2024.
Accordingly, he should have resigned from any companies holding contracts with the RDA prior to that date.
He was sworn in as Deputy Minister on November 21, 2024.
Even if he resigned from those positions prior to assuming office, he would still be disqualified if he held such roles at the time of nomination.
As confirmed by his own assets declaration, he continued to serve as a director of the relevant companies as of March 31 this year, reinforcing the case for disqualification.
Furthermore, a company in which he holds shares has obtained a new government contract under the current administration, with the Ministry of Digital Economy where he serves as Deputy Minister, also involved in the project.
It is also noteworthy that bank card payment facilities on expressways were introduced in April this year, after the current Government took office, and were implemented by companies linked to the Deputy Minister.
While it could be argued that this was an extension of earlier contracts, it nonetheless raises further ethical concerns.
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