Sri Lankan Energy Minister Resigns Amid Probe Into Substandard Coal Deal

Sri Lanka’s energy minister, Kumara Jayakody, resigned after the president announced a six-month commission of inquiry into a multimillion-dollar coal supply deal that imported substandard coal for the Lakvijaya power plant; the inquiry will determine whether irregularities or illegal activities occurred. The controversy, which also prompted the Energy Ministry secretary’s resignation, has been linked to prior findings that the imported coal failed to meet required quality parameters and has political repercussions for the president’s administration.