Activists Demand Probe Into CPC Fuel Procurement Between 2015 and 2023
Calls are mounting for a full-scale investigation into fuel procurement carried out by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation between 2015 and 2023, amid allegations that politically connected individuals and companies may have benefited from controversial fuel import deals.
Trade unions attached to the CPC, together with anti-corruption campaigners, have urged the government to examine all procurement contracts, supplier relationships, payment structures and delays linked to petroleum imports during successive administrations.
Particular attention is being drawn to the period when Uvais Mohamed served as chairman of both CPC and CPSTL, especially during the final years of the administration led by Ranil Wickremesinghe. Questions have reportedly been raised over whether individuals with close links to the United National Party or its affiliated networks were involved in supplying fuel to the CPC.
Critics have also questioned the appointment of Mohamed Uwais Mohamed as chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, arguing that he appeared to have had limited direct experience in the petroleum sector prior to assuming the role. Opposition figures and anti-corruption activists have alleged that the appointment may have been politically motivated due to his family connections to a former cabinet minister. They have further called on the government to examine whether all academic and professional qualifications submitted during the appointment process were properly verified. However, no public finding has been made to suggest that any qualifications were fabricated, and any such allegation would require clear documentary evidence and a formal investigation before conclusions could be drawn.
Union representatives have called for investigators to examine not only who supplied fuel cargoes, but also the prices agreed, the use of spot tenders instead of long-term contracts, payment delays, and whether any suppliers received preferential treatment or advance payments.
The demands come against a backdrop of several procurement controversies already under investigation. Authorities previously ordered a probe into alleged irregularities surrounding fuel imports during the 2022–2023 fuel crisis, with claims that some individuals may have profited during the period of long fuel queues and economic collapse. CPC management has also indicated that forensic audits into transactions from that period were under consideration.
Former CPC chairman Dhammika Ranatunga was also arrested in 2025 over allegations that the cancellation of long-term tenders and the use of higher-priced spot tenders caused losses of nearly Rs. 800 million to the CPC during 2017 and 2018. Investigators alleged that the corporation moved away from cheaper long-term contracts and instead purchased fuel at inflated prices.
Meanwhile, critics argue that fuel procurement has long been vulnerable to political interference, opaque pricing mechanisms and questionable supplier selection processes. Allegations have previously surfaced regarding advance payments to selected suppliers, delayed settlements, and preferential treatment for favoured companies during the height of the fuel crisis.
There are also growing calls for any investigation to examine appointments made within CPC during this period, including whether relatives or associates of politically connected individuals were given positions inside the corporation without proper process.
The issue has become even more politically sensitive after recent procurement controversies in the energy sector forced the resignation of Sri Lanka’s energy minister and triggered fresh investigations into imports linked to the power sector.