Deputy Secretary General of Parliament Suspended Amid Questions Over UK Company Directorship
By Our Investigations Desk
Colombo / London — The Deputy Secretary General of Parliament, G.K.A. Chaminda Kumara Kularatna, was suspended from his duties with immediate effect on 23 January, following issues raised in connection with his appointment, parliamentary sources confirmed.
While the formal grounds for the suspension have not been publicly detailed, fresh information has emerged that has prompted wider administrative and diplomatic scrutiny.
According to company records examined by this newspaper, Mr. Kularatna was listed as a director of a private company named Thames Consultants Limited, which was incorporated in the United Kingdom on 14 September 2017. The directorship has since been formally noted and flagged by investigators examining the circumstances surrounding his public service record.
In light of these findings, representations have now been made to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting a formal investigation into whether Mr. Kularatna became a director of the UK-registered company while serving at the Sri Lankan High Commission in London.
If established, such an arrangement could raise serious questions under Sri Lanka’s civil service conduct rules, foreign service regulations, and diplomatic posting guidelines. These frameworks generally restrict public officials — particularly those on overseas diplomatic assignments — from engaging in private commercial activity without prior authorisation and full disclosure.
Of particular concern to investigators is whether Mr. Kularatna declared this directorship to Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry at the time, and whether the necessary disclosures were made to UK authorities, given that diplomats operate under specific visa and conduct conditions.
Diplomatic and governance experts note that if a serving diplomat assumes a consultancy role or company directorship abroad, it may constitute a conflict of interest unless expressly approved by the sending state and properly notified to the host country’s foreign office.
Adding to the complexity of the case, Thames Consultants Limited has since been dissolved, with records indicating that no statutory accounts were filed during its existence. Investigators are now seeking to establish whether the company ever issued invoices, operated a bank account, or engaged in any financial transactions before its dissolution.
“These are not academic questions,” said one former senior civil servant familiar with diplomatic regulations. “If public officers engage in undeclared private business while holding sensitive state positions, it undermines institutional integrity and diplomatic credibility.”
Parliamentary sources stress that the suspension of Mr. Kularatna is an administrative measure pending further inquiry, and does not in itself amount to a finding of wrongdoing. However, multiple lines of investigation — administrative, financial, and diplomatic — are reportedly ongoing.
As of now, neither Mr. Kularatna nor the relevant authorities have issued a detailed public statement addressing the specific allegations relating to the UK company.
The outcome of the investigations may have broader implications for how overseas postings, conflict-of-interest declarations, and post-appointment vetting are handled within Sri Lanka’s parliamentary and foreign service structures.
For now, the case remains under active review, with officials indicating that further disclosures are likely as inquiries progress.