The Free Lawyers Association (FLA) has alleged that the government plans to scrap the Integrated Treasury Management Information System (ITMIS), a centralised digital platform run by the Finance Ministry.

FLA Spokesman Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon, a former Provincial Governor and civil society activist, made the claim at a media briefing on Thursday. The briefing was held at the Flower Road residence of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Tennakoon said moves were under way to replace ITMIS with the older Computerised Integrated Government Accounting System (CIGAS). Asked whether he was sure, he answered in the affirmative.

He said ITMIS was established in 2010 and that successive governments had spent about Rs. 15 million on it, mostly in US dollars. CIGAS dates from 1993. Tennakoon warned that returning to the older system could pose a significant threat to the financial management system, and called it contrary to the election manifesto of the National People’s Power (NPP).

Attempts to reach Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Anil Jayantha Fernando for comment were unsuccessful, The Island reported. The government has not responded to the claim in the material available.

Background

ITMIS and CIGAS are both government financial systems. According to Tennakoon, the first dates from 2010 and the second from 1993, which makes the older platform more than three decades old. The government has not confirmed any plan to change either system.

The briefing also covered tax policy. Tennakoon said President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had recently declared that the NPP had not introduced new taxes, while in his count there had been 12 taxes covering various sectors since the last presidential election. He said the higher number of taxes had caused serious problems for small and medium businesses and for people struggling to make ends meet.

Referring to economic indicators for January to September 2026, Tennakoon said the national economy was in poor shape. He also asked the NPP to explain losses suffered by the Treasury and by Sri Lanka Post, which he put at US$ 2.5 million and US$ 625,000 respectively. He further raised double payments made by the Urban Development Authority, and double payments to Aswesuma welfare recipients in a single month.

What it means

Treasury systems record government spending and receipts, so any change to the platform used by the Finance Ministry would be of interest to taxpayers, suppliers and public servants. No decision has been announced, and the claims come from a civil society group rather than from the Finance Ministry.

Readers can expect the Finance Ministry to be asked to confirm or deny the plan. Until it does, the allegation remains unverified.