Another revelation on Yahapalana govt’s outlay on luxury vehicles

Former Secretary to the Ministry of Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media, Mr. Nimal Bopage has stated that towards the back end of 2016, then-Cabinet of Ministers had approved renting out of luxury vehicles for 58 parliamentarians of the government.

In a special communique on the revelation made in the Parliament yesterday, he added that he objected to the move as the government was on the verge of losing Rs 44.3 billion.

Bopage proceeded to say that he was summoned to the Cabinet committee on economic affairs, led by then-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and was publicly threatened to demanding him to either “sign or resign”.

Yesterday, Minister Johnston Fernando, responding to a question raised during the parliamentary session, divulged that former government has spent a staggering Rs. 2.8 billion to import luxury vehicles for ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers.

Numbers revealed in the House yesterday also put former President Maithripala Sirisena on top of the list, making him the biggest spender of public finance on luxury vehicles with ha sum of Rs. 328.9 million.