Srilanka, July 26 -- A key witness testifying before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry investigating controversial coal transactions admitted he was unable to explain how Critical Quality Indicators for imported coal shipments were altered following public controversy over the deal.

Rohan Jeewantha, the Sri Lanka Local Manager for Cotecna (India) the testing agency tasked with assessing the coal shipments, made the admission whilst responding to panel members regarding the Gross Calorific Value (GCV), a crucial benchmark used to measure coal quality.

When questioned about how the GCV values shifted after national debates emerged concerning the quality of the imported coal, Jeewantha said he could not account for the discrepancy. A...