A special audit covering the 8th and 9th Parliaments has uncovered a series of irregularities involving fuel allocations, vehicle privileges and expenditure related to several senior parliamentary positions, including the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Chairman of Committees and Secretary-General of Parliament.

According to the audit findings, there were no effective restrictions on the Speaker’s fuel consumption, allowing fuel to be obtained without a specified limit. During the final two years of the 9th Parliament, the Speaker’s office recorded an average monthly fuel consumption of 3,994 litres in 2023 and 6,122 litres in 2024.

The audit noted that fuel consumption in 2023 increased by 66% compared to 2022, while consumption in 2024 increased by 155%. As a result, annual fuel expenditure for the Speaker’s office rose to Rs. 19.37 million in 2023 and Rs. 26.05 million in 2024.

The report also identified irregularities in the fuel and vehicle privileges granted to the Deputy Speaker. Although Cabinet approval had been granted on November 5 to provide the Deputy Speaker with privileges equivalent to those of a Non-Cabinet Minister, the audit found that fuel had been issued without clearly defined limits.According to existing Presidential Secretariat circulars, a Deputy Minister is entitled to a maximum of three official vehicles, with the same provision applying to the Deputy Speaker. However, during 2023 and 2024, an additional private vehicle was provided, with 21,299 litres of fuel valued at approximately Rs. 8.55 million issued for it.The audit further found that fuel consumption for the three official vehicles assigned to the Deputy Speaker exceeded the applicable limits by 6,980 litres in 2023. In 2024, two official vehicles exceeded the prescribed limits by a further 1,515 litres.

Similar concerns were raised regarding the Chairman of Committees. The position, which is subordinate to that of the Deputy Speaker, had been provided with three official vehicles and unlimited fuel, despite no formal decision having been made specifying the number of vehicles or fuel entitlement for the post.The audit also examined the vehicle use and fuel consumption of the Secretary-General of Parliament. It found that two official vehicles had been used simultaneously by the Secretary-General during 2022 and 2023, with vehicle logbooks confirming that both were in operation during overlapping periods.The Secretary-General was also not subject to a specific fuel limit. The audit found that 15,063 litres of fuel, valued at approximately Rs. 6.07 million, had been used between 2022 and 2024.This amounted to an annual average of around 5,031 litres, which the audit noted was approximately 2,300 litres more per year than the fuel allocation provided to a Ministry Secretary, who falls within the highest fuel-entitlement category in the public service.