The responsibility of the Directors, in relation to the Financial Statements of the Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC (Bank) and the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Bank and its Subsidiaries (Group), is set out in this Statement. The responsibilities of the External Auditors in relation to the Financial Statements are set out in the ‘Auditors’ Report’.

In terms of Sections 150 (1), 151, 152 and 153 (1) & (2) of the Companies Act No. 07 of 2007, the Directors of the Bank are responsible for ensuring that the Group and the Bank keep proper books of account of all the transactions and prepare Financial Statements that give a true and fair view of the financial position of the Bank and the Group as at end of each financial year and of the financial performance of the Bank and the Group for each financial year and place them before a general meeting. The Financial Statements comprise of the Statement of Financial Position as at December 31, 2013, the Statement of Comprehensive Income, Statement of Changes in Equity, Statement of Cash Flows for the year then ended and Notes thereto.

Accordingly, the Directors confirm that the Financial Statements of the Bank and the Group give a true and fair view of:

1. the financial position of the Bank and the Group as at Reporting date; and
2. the financial performance of the Bank and the Group for the financial year ended on the Reporting date.

The Financial Statements of the Bank and the Group have been certified by the Bank’s Chief Financial Officer, the officer responsible for their preparation, as required by the Sections 150 (1) (b) and 152 (1) (b) of the Companies Act. In addition, the Financial Statements of the Bank and the Group have been signed by three Directors and the Company Secretary of the Bank on February 24, 2014 as required by the Sections 150 (1) (c) and 152 (1) (c) of the Companies Act and other regulatory requirements. Under the Section 148 (1) of the Companies Act, the Directors are also responsible for ensuring that proper accounting records which correctly record and explain the Bank’s transactions are maintained and that the Bank’s financial position, with reasonable accuracy, at any point of time is determined by the Bank, enabling preparation of the Financial Statements, in accordance with the Act to facilitate proper audit of the Financial Statements.

The Financial Statements for the year 2013, prepared and presented in this Annual Report have been prepared based on Sri Lanka Accounting Standards (SLFRS/LKAS) which came to effect from January 01, 2012 are in agreement with the underlying books of account and are in conformity with the requirements of the Sri Lanka Accounting Standards, Companies Act No. 07 of 2007, Sri Lanka Accounting and Auditing Standards Act No. 15 of 1995, Banking Act No. 30 of 1988 and amendments thereto, the Listing Rules of the Colombo Stock Exchange and the Code of Best Practice on Corporate Governance issued jointly by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL) and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC).

In addition, these Financial Statements comply with the prescribed format issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka for the preparation of Annual Financial Statements of licensed commercial banks.

The Directors have taken appropriate steps to ensure that the Bank and the Group maintain proper books of account and review the financial reporting system directly by them at their regular meetings and also through the Board Audit Committee, the Report. The Board of Directors also approves the Interim Financial Statements prior to their release, following a review and recommendation by the Board Audit Committee.

The Board of Directors accepts responsibility for the integrity and objectivity of the Financial Statements presented in this Annual Report. The Directors confirm that in preparing the Financial Statements including, appropriate Accounting Policies selected and applied based on the new financial reporting frame work on a consistent basis, while reasonable and prudent judgments have been made so that the form and substance of transactions are properly reflected.

The Directors also have taken reasonable measures to safeguard the assets of the Bank and the Group and to prevent and detect frauds and other irregularities. In this regard, the Directors have instituted an effective and comprehensive system of internal controls comprising of internal checks, internal audit and financial and other controls required to carry on the business of banking in an orderly manner and safeguard its assets and secure as far as practicable, the accuracy and reliability of the records. Refer the Directors’ Statement on Internal Control..

The Board of Directors wishes to confirm that, as required by the Section 56 (2) of the Companies Act No. 07 of 2007, they have authorised distribution of the dividends paid and proposed upon being satisfied that the Bank and all its Subsidiaries would satisfy the solvency test after such distributions are made in accordance with the Section 57 of the Companies Act No. 07 of 2007 and have obtained in respect of dividends paid and proposed, and also for which approval is now sought, necessary certificates of solvency from the External Auditors.

The Board of Directors also wishes to confirm that, as required by the Sections 166 (1) and 167 (1) of the Companies Act, they have prepared this Annual Report in time and ensured that a copy thereof is sent to every shareholder of the Bank, who have expressed desire to receive a hard copy or to other shareholders a soft copy each in a CD containing the Annual Report within the stipulated period of time as required by the Rule No. 7.5 (a) and (b) on Continuing Listing Requirements of the Listing Rules of the Colombo Stock Exchange. The Directors also wish to confirm that all shareholders in each category have been treated equitably in accordance with the original terms of issue.

Further, the Board of Directors wishes to confirm that the Bank and its quoted subsidiary have met all the requirements under the Section 07 on Continuing Listing Requirements of the Listing Rules of the Colombo Stock Exchange, where applicable.

The Bank’s External Auditors, Messrs KPMG who were appointed in terms of the Section 158 of the Companies Act and in accordance with a resolution passed at the last Annual General Meeting, were provided with every opportunity to undertake the inspections they considered appropriate. They carried out reviews and sample checks on the system of internal controls as they considered appropriate and necessary for expressing their opinion on the Financial Statements and maintaining accounting records. They have examined the Financial Statements made available to them by the Board of Directors of the Bank together with all the financial records, related data and Minutes of shareholders’ and Directors’ meetings and expressed their opinion which appears as reported by them.

 

Compliance Report

The Directors confirm that to the best of their knowledge, all taxes, duties and levies payable by the Bank and its Subsidiaries, all contributions, levies and taxes payable on behalf of and in respect of the employees of the Bank and its Subsidiaries, and all other known statutory dues as were due and payable by the Bank and its Subsidiaries as at the Reporting date have been paid or, where relevant, provided for, except as specified in Note 49 to the Financial Statements on ‘Litigation against the Bank’. The Directors further confirm that after considering the financial position, operating conditions, regulatory and other factors and such matters required to be addressed in the ‘Code on Corporate Governance’ issued jointly by the ICASL and the SEC, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Bank and its Subsidiaries possess adequate resources to continue in operation for the foreseeable future. For this reason, we continue to adopt the Going Concern basis in preparing the Financial Statements.

The Directors are of the view that they have discharged their responsibilities as set out in this Statement.

By Order of the Board,

Mrs. R.R. Dunuwille
Company Secretary

Colombo
February 24, 2014