DailyMirror.lk:
The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) had not maintained annual accounts over the last 20 years, an inquiry by a high level parliamentary committee had revealed.
The committee had directed the PMB officials to submit a report in this regard within three months. It had been revealed that the PMB had not submitted its annual accounts to either the Auditor General or the high powered parliamentary committee since 1990. This had happened in the last 20 years under UNP, PA, UNF and UPFA regimes.
The PMB is a government institution that had been closed for about four years during the last 20 years.
It is heavily in debt and it had been revealed that the Board is in debt to the Bank of Ceylon and the People’s Bank for about Rs. 500 million.
However, it had been revealed that the PMB had not maintained proper accounts including on its debt. It had also been revealed that the PMB had not been summoned before this high powered parliamentary committee since 1995 until it was summoned last week.
This committee had so far summoned around 90 government institutions before it and an interim report is to be submitted to parliament shortly, sources said.