COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Power and Energy Minister Kumara Jayakodi resigned on Friday, shortly after a high-level presidential committee announced an investigation into coal imports by a state-owned entity for power generation.
Jayakodi survived a “no-confidence” vote last week, becoming the first NPA government to resign since being elected in late 2024 on an anti-corruption platform.
President Anura Kumar Dissanayake’s office said that along with Jayakodi, minister Udayanga Hemapala also resigned.
According to the presidential media department, the move was to facilitate an independent investigation by the special presidential commission appointed to investigate issues related to coal imports.
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka appointed a high-power presidential committee to investigate Lanka Coal Limited, starting from the import of coal for power generation decades ago until April 16, 2026, a press release from the President’s Office said.
Jayakodi was the first NPP minister to face a “no-confidence” motion, but with the NPP’s absolute parliamentary seat advantage, he completely defeated the NPP on April 10, 153 to 49.
In the no-confidence motion, Jayakodi was accused of causing huge losses to the state in purchasing coal and misappropriating the state’s procurement process, endangering the country’s energy security.
Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya said during the debate that the opposition could not prove any of the allegations against the minister.
Jayakodi defended his actions, saying he and his party were strictly committed to upholding the anti-corruption principles of the state BJP government.
He has been charged by the Bribery and Corruption Commission for misconduct during his previous employment with the national fertilizer company.
The opposition accused Jayakodi of serious behavior and must resign.
This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
