Fraud in North Central Provincial Council: Contractor decamps with Rs.14Mn

By Dayaratne Embogama

A missive fraud of Rs. 14 million in the North Central Provincial Council has been disclosed by the National Audit Office.

The Provincial Council had planned to construct a three-storied building and a primary education centre for Thirappane Mahanama Vidyalaya under the “Nearest School is the Best School” programme.

The National Audit Office has pointed out that the contractor had been paid an advance of Rs. 14 million to inaugurate the project but he had abandoned it without any work being done.

The contract sum of the project was Rs. 140 million under the agreement entered into by the contractor.  The National Audit Office has pointed out that the Chief Minister’s Office had paid an advance amounting to ten per cent of the contract sum without the Supervisory Engineer’s certificate that the contractor had taken over the project site. The audit office has queried about the failure to recover the advance paid to the contractor.

Meanwhile, President of the Ceylon Teachers Union Priyantha Fernando said the funds allocated under the Nearest School is the Best School Project had been misappropriated and that it was raised in the State Accounts Committee as well. He said the fraud involving the Mahanama Vidyalaya building contract was just one incident.