Treasury poised for digital U-turn, ‘Free Lawyers’ alleges

The Free Lawyers Association (FLA), led by Spokesman Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon, has accused the government of planning to abandon the Integrated Treasury Management Information System (ITMIS) in favor of the older Computerised Integrated Government Accounting System (CIGAS). This allegation was made during a media briefing held at the residence of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Tennakoon claimed that the government had already spent around Rs 15 million, primarily in USD, on ITMIS since its establishment in 2010, while CIGAS had been in operation since 1993. He warned that reverting to CIGAS instead of ITMIS could lead to a significant setback in the country's financial management system. Tennakoon pointed out that the plan contradicts the election manifesto, which had promised new taxes would not be introduced by the NPP.

However, he noted that there were 12 new taxes implemented after the last presidential polls, affecting various sectors, which had caused significant issues for small and medium businesses and those struggling to make ends meet. Tennakoon also highlighted the poor state of the national economy, citing economic indicators from January to September 2026.

He mentioned that the NPP had not yet explained the losses suffered by the Treasury and Sri Lanka Post, which amounted to USD 2.5 million and USD 625,000 respectively, as well as double payments made by the Urban Development Authority and double payments in one month for Aswesuma recipients.