Money given against law for Mahinda’s Uganda tour!

May 20, 2016

The Foreign Affairs Ministry has violated the law when it gave money for ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa to tour Uganda, reports say.

The Sri Lankan state had paid for Mahinda’s airfare, food and accommodation during the trip. It is against the law for the ministry to give the money, as he had received the invitation for the tour unofficially.

The state can bear expenses of a former president’s foreign visit, but the official invitation for such a tour should come from the respective diplomatic mission to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, which is not the case in this instance.

The ministry had given Mahinda an Emirates Airline ticket costing Rs. 425,000 through invoice no.73835 on May 05. The ticket was bought from World Air (Pvt.) Ltd. at no. 62, Havelock Road, Colombo 05.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry hastened to pay for a private tour by an ex-president, whereas neither the country’s president, prime minister nor the foreign affairs minister had been invited.

Mahinda’s personal aide Udith Lokubandara on May 05 requested in writing from ministry secretary Chitranganie Wagiswara to meet the expenses for the tour. On the same day, the ministry gave money to buy the air ticket.

Not receiving an official invitation through the diplomatic mission of that country is an affront. Such a matter could even result in the diplomatic mission being withdrawn from that country.

According to information received by us, not even ex-president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga had received funding for foreign tours from the Foreign Affairs Ministry during the Rajapaksa regime.

A former top official of the ministry told us that a proper investigation was called for by the Yahapaalana government that works to eliminate corruption, into the ministry have acted outside the legal limits in this instance.