Since the day the draft act was formulated, the corrupt had tried to prevent it from being adopted, he said yesterday (04) at a media briefing by trade unions of the Auditor General’s Department.

The act is intended to protect the money belonging to the public, and neither the executive nor the cabinet has the powers to change it, and only parliament can do so, said Mayadunne.

If the act is amended, its intended purposes could not be served, and it is parliament’s responsibility to maintain it as it is, he added.

The need was there since 1977 to formulate a national audit act, but it could be realized only during his tenure, the ex-AG said, adding several corrupt persons prevented it from being submitted to the cabinet in 2005.

That interference by the corrupt still continues, and it is part of the plot to amend the act through a cabinet subcommittee, Mayadunne added.